


Welcome to Moonbucks

by lo_anlurui



Category: Infinite (Band)
Genre: M/M, barista!woohyun, coffeeshop!au, moonbucks, much cheese, much fluff, nerd!howon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-06
Updated: 2016-01-17
Packaged: 2018-04-19 08:41:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 32,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4740011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lo_anlurui/pseuds/lo_anlurui
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nam Woohyun's and Lee Howon's trials and tribulations that take place in the lovely setting of Moonbucks Cafe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. May I take your order?

It was a dark and stormy afternoon when Nam Woohyun first met Lee Howon.

(But he didn’t know this till much later.)

Because it was a dark and stormy afternoon, customers who were already in the safe and warm confines of Moonbucks Cafe lingered over their cups of coffee and homemade muffins whilst the storm raged outside.

Outside the cafe, it was deserted, with nary a human or animal in sight. Everyone had taken shelter from the rain.

And then, as Woohyun was polishing the espresso machine (he prided on keeping it clear enough to admire his face in its reflection), a bedraggled, drenched person walked in.

Woohyun could only guess that it was a person, because said person was completely wrapped up in a soaked pair of jeans and a black windbreaker, having tugged the hood over his face and tightened the laces.

The person stood in the doorway of the cafe, dripping water and allowing wind and rain to enter the cosy cafe, until Sungyeol, Woohyun’s colleague, had the presence of mind to holler at the person to “come in and shut the damn door before the place floods!”.

The person trudged in and shut the door, not seeming to notice that everyone was staring at him/her.

Then the person slowly trudged to the cashier, where Woohyun was standing and having a mini internal hissy fit about how he’d have to mop up all the puddles of water later.

When the person was near enough, Woohyun could see a pair of thick black spectacles and not much else.

“Excuse me,” the person said - and Woohyun finally knew it was a man, from the low tone. “Do you think I could use your bathroom to wash up? I’ll buy something to drink.”

Woohyun blinked at him.

It wasn’t because Woohyun had fallen in love at first sight - but he realised that even underneath the windbreaker, the man was soaked, with rivulets of water running down his face and droplets of water clinging to his spectacles.

Woohyun wondered what kind of rain and storm this man had gone through just to make it to their cafe.

(“Three blocks of no shelter and heavy rain to be exact,” Howon would tell him much later.)

“Um,” the man said, and Woohyun blinked.

“Oh! OH! I’m sorry!” Woohyun yelped, leaping into action and grabbing clean towels. “Of course you can use our bathroom! And here - take these towels - we use them to clean the tables, but they’re clean! They haven’t been used yet! Do you need a spare change of clothes?”

“If you could - ” the man said. “I have a spare set in my backpack, but I think that might be soaked through too.”

“Sure!” Woohyun said brightly. “Um - as long as you don’t mind wearing our staff uniform!”

“As long as it’s clean and dry,” the man replied. “Thank you. I’ll take a hot hazelnut latte, please.”

“Coming right up!” Woohyun sang, and got to work on the drink. The man trudged off to the toilet, still dripping water. Sungyeol got the mop and started cleaning the floor. The customers returned to their near-empty cups of coffee and bits of muffin. The storm continued to rage outside.

All was peaceful...until the man returned from the toilet.

Woohyun put the finishing touches on the elaborate heart-shaped latte art floating on the steaming hot cup of hazelnut latte and looked up to find an attractive man standing in front of him. His hair was damp and ruffled, he was wearing a polo t-shirt the same shade of green as Moonbucks Cafe’s logo, and he was squinting at Woohyun, as if he couldn’t see clearly or as if he was judging Woohyun’s coffee barista skills. But even if he was being judgmental, his eyes were really pretty, thought Woohyun dazedly.

“Yes, can I help you?” Woohyun said politely, shaking himself out of his daze. “Odd, I didn’t hear the door open.”

Everyone in the cafe stared at Woohyun.

“Uh, it’s the drenched guy from before,” Sungyeol said, resting his arm on the mop. “He cleaned up.”

The formerly drenched man wiped his spectacles clean with his shirt and put them on, hiding those pretty brown eyes (Woohyun inwardly screamed at the loss) and looked shy and sheepish. “Thank you for the towels and clothes,” he said softly. “I’ll wash them and return them to you. Um, is that my drink? I’ll pay for it.”

And that was the first time Nam Woohyun and Lee Howon met.

 

(“It’s not fair, you had the better impression when we first met,” Woohyun grumbled.

“What? Yah, try walking three blocks in heavy rain.” Glare.

“Yeah, but you were drenched and looked pitiful and...you cleaned up so well. I made a fool of myself!”

“Well, if you say so.” Howon hummed.

“...did I really make a fool of myself, Howon-ah?” Pout.

“No? In fact, I felt awkward - standing there dripping water on the floor and having everyone stare at me...and then you didn’t recognize me when I changed, so everyone’s attention was on us again. So embarrassing. I wanted to go home and never return to the cafe again.”

“Awwww. Well, if it helps - you looked far better in the Moonbucks polo shirt than that ratty windbreaker. And those wet jeans that clung to your legs - mmmmmm.”

“Obviously windbreakers are not my style.”)


	2. The customer is always right!

It was a week before Nam Woohyun saw Lee Howon again. 

But this time, he knew who he was, although he still didn't know his name. He was wearing a white t shirt and jeans and carried a black backpack. There was another young man with him, wearing a brightly colored t shirt with a dinosaur pattern all over it. 

"Oh! It's the drenched guy from before!" Sungyeol blurted out. "Hey, you're dry." 

Pretty Brown Eyes looked impassive, although Woohyun could see his ears turning red. The other young man with him had cracked up, laughing obnoxiously until Pretty Brown Eyes turned to him, flashing him a judgmental look and whispering something in a low voice. 

They approached the cashier, Obnoxious Laughter first in line. 

"Welcome to Moonbucks, may I take your order?" Woohyun automatically said. 

"Hmmm. I think I'll have a iced caramel macchiato to go, please." 

"Sure. Your name, please?" 

"Dongwoo." Obnoxious Laughter grinned. 

Then he stepped out of the way for Pretty Brown Eyes and - Woohyun's heart did not skip a beat, it was just heartburn from his breakfast of coffee and a Sausage McMuffin with egg. He resolved to stop drinking so much coffee and exercise more. 

"W - welcome to Moonbucks, may I take your order?" And that was not a nervous stutter, obviously he would have to go for speech therapy for his speech impediment. 

"Um, iced hazelnut latte please," Pretty Brown Eyes said nervously. "To go."

"Okay," Woohyun said, ringing up the order. "And your name?" 

"Ho - Dongwoo-hyung!" Pretty Brown Eyes looked intensely irritated as Dongwoo swung a paper bag at him and it smashed into the side of his head. 

"Oops, hehe," Dongwoo laughed sheepishly. "I was aiming for your side. You nearly forgot to return these, and then you'd have to spend another week gathering enough courage to return here - " 

Pretty Brown Eyes glared at him. "Shut up please, Dongwoo-hyung." He turned back to Woohyun, looking frazzled. "That's all, here's the exact amount and um I've washed the towels and shirt you lent me last week, thankyouverymuch." He put the money and paper bag on the counter and retreated to a corner of the cafe, looking like he wished he could hide himself in it. 

Woohyun blinked. His name...? In the sudden whirlwind of that interlude, he barely remembered what Pretty Brown Eyes had said his name was. 

Ho...something. 

Ho....dong? 

Hodong? 

Well, that sounded right. Woohyun went to work. 

One of his favorite things to do at the cafe was to draw on the takeout cups. That other cafe named after stars only wrote people's names, but Woohyun decorated the cups too! He figured that would make their service stand out and they'd be more inclined to save their cup as a memento and he'd be doing his part to save the environment. Or something like that. 

He wrote Dongwoo's name on a cup and drew a dinosaur pretending to eat his name next to it. Then he moved on to Hodong's cup. Since the kid looked so embarrassed and upset, Woohyun figured he needed some love. So he drew a heart in place of the 'o' in his name and drew winged hearts all around his name. 

Satisfied with his work, Woohyun started making the drinks. 

(And maybe he tipped a little extra syrup into Hodong's drink, but it was really just an accident.

Really!) 

"Dongwoo-sshi, your drink is ready," Sungyeol called out. 

"Oh! Thanks!" Dongwoo picked up the cup, laughing as he saw the cute dinosaur attempting to eat the letters of his name. "This is cute! Howonnie, look!"

Howonnie? Woohyun felt a strange sense of foreboding. 

"And is this Howon's drink?" Dongwoo picked it up. "Oh, it's so cute! Look at all the hearts! But hmmm, Hodong?" He cocked his head at Howon, who was expressionless. "You gave him your birth name?" 

"I didn't," Howon said flatly. 

Woohyun panicked. "I'm sorry! I thought I heard Hodong so I wrote it down!" 

Some customers watching them giggled and snickered, and Howon's face grew blacker and his ears redder. 

"Ahhh, you messed up, kiddo," Dongwoo said cheerfully, slinging an arm around Howon. "That's his birth name that he really, really hates. I'm sure it was a mistake, though, Hodong-ah." 

"Stop it, Dongwoo-hyung. It's not funny. And, what are these...things?" Howon asked coldly, pointing at the winged hearts Woohyun had drawn. 

"Hearts with wings?" Woohyun said nervously. "You looked upset and embarrassed, so I thought these would cheer you up..." 

"And you don't think walking around with a cup that had heart shaped blobs drawn on it would draw even more attention to myself?" Howon said icily. "Your drawings are ridiculous and childish. You should grow up." 

A stunned silence fell over the cafe, before Woohyun shook his head and drew himself up with Righteous Fury. "They're just drawings to make you happy. I apologize if they didn't. I must say, though, that I didn't hear you complain about the latte heart I drew for you the last time you were here." 

"What latte art?" Howon asked, confused. 

"I drew a heart shaped latte art on your cup of hot hazelnut latte the last time you were here," Woohyun said, trying to control his temper.

“You did?” Howon blinked. “I stirred sugar in, so I didn’t notice…”

“You what?!” Woohyun yelled. “You added sugar?!” 

“Yes, I prefer my coffee sweet,” Howon replied. “You have a problem with that?”

Woohyun clenched his fists. “Yes! How could you - our coffee recipes are perfect! How would you know if it wasn’t sweet enough if you hadn’t tasted it?” 

Howon shrugged. “Usually normal coffee is too bitter for me.” 

“That’s so disrespectful,” Woohyun said disapprovingly. “If you wanted the coffee sweeter, you could have asked. Instead, you ruined my latte art!” 

Howon rolled his eyes. “It’s just latte art and coffee.” 

“Just like how I accidentally misspelled your name.”

“That’s different!” Howon insisted, glaring at him. 

“Is not!” 

“Is too! It’s my name!” Howon yelled, completely upset. 

“Is something wrong?” A fluffy brown head poked out of the kitchen. “Why all this shouting?” 

“Sunggyu-hyung!” Woohyun didn’t know whether to be scared or relieved that he had appeared. 

“Sunggyu-hyung!” Dongwoo said in surprise. 

Sunggyu yawned. “Seriously? What’s going on. You’re yelling so loudly you’ll scare the other customers.” 

“He misspelled my name and drew these ugly heart blob things,” Howon said stubbornly. 

“He ruined my latte art and stirred sugar into my coffee! Plus he insulted my drawings,” Woohyun complained. 

Sunggyu stared at the two of them. 

Then he looked at Dongwoo. “Your take?” 

“Woohyun didn’t mean to misspell his name,” Dongwoo said carefully. “And I think the heart-shaped drawings are cute.” 

Howon sulked. “Fine, whatever.”

“Your latte art would have been ruined anyway, once he drank his coffee,” Sunggyu told Woohyun. “So I don’t get why you’re making such a huge fuss. And maybe you should think about what drawings would suit your customer next time - or not draw at all.”

Woohyun sulked. “Fine, whatever.” 

Sunggyu sighed. “I should have majored in education instead of business management and opened a kindergarten instead. Hodong-sshi -”

“Howon,” Dongwoo said quickly, because Howon looked like he was going to cry. “Lee Howon.” 

“Howon-sshi,” Sunggyu said. “Would you like a new cup?” 

Howon shook his head. “I have to go back now, I have classes.” 

“Alright then. Sorry for taking up your time,” Sunggyu said politely. 

Howon picked up the paper bag, which had fallen to the floor in the midst of their squabbling, and put it on the counter. 

Then he took the cup, covering the ‘Hodong’ with his hand, and left the cafe. 

“Hey, wait!” Dongwoo called out. “Do you want me to walk back with you?” 

Howon shook his head, his fringe obscuring his eyes. “It’s ok, hyung.”

“Um, okay then.” Dongwoo turned back to the counter. 

Woohyun sighed. 

“Isn’t that the guy you were babbling about the other day?” Sunggyu asked. “The one who got super drenched and you offered him clothes and your extra staff shirt and had really pretty brown eyes?” 

“Yes…” Woohyun said. “But. He ruined my coffee. And he insulted my drawings.” 

Sunggyu rolled his eyes. 

“Yah, it’s not just any misspelling of his name,” Dongwoo butted in. “It’s the worst misspelling you could have made. Even if you wrote Hoya you wouldn’t have such a bad reaction.”

“Why?” Sunggyu asked. 

“He was teased in primary school about his name when a skit Kang Hodong acted stupid in became really popular,” Dongwoo explained. “Plus he got bullied as well. He cried so hard for two months that his parents eventually changed his name. He didn’t just change his name either - he got really quiet and withdrawn even after the whole incident had blown over. Until today, he refuses to watch any Kang Hodong shows because they give him bad memories.” 

“How do you know all this?” Sunggyu asked curiously. 

Dongwoo grinned. “I’m his roomie! Once, he got really, really drunk and started crying and told me all this.” He looked wistful. “It never happened again, though. His alcohol tolerance level is sky high.” 

Sunggyu looked at Woohyun, who looked a little less sulky and a little more guilty, but also very stubborn. “So?”

“So what?” Woohyun retorted. “I didn’t do it on purpose. And I didn’t draw those winged hearts to upset him. But he added sugar! To my perfect latte!” 

“But how is it perfect if the customer doesn’t like it?” Dongwoo asked. 

Woohyun’s stubborn jaw trembled, but then he shook his head. “It’s just like how some people in high-end restaurants ask for ketchup or tabasco sauce with their food when it’s not meant to be eaten that way. It’s disrespectful!” 

Unable to take the ridiculousness of the conversation, Sungyeol called out, “Hey, Woohyun, I saw you adding extra hazelnut syrup to Howon-sshi’s latte. So what’s that? Creative license?” 

Dongwoo snickered, and Sunggyu rolled his eyes. And finally, Woohyun gave up the fight. 

“Fine!” Woohyun grumbled. “I’m just not happy that he didn’t appreciate my latte art.” 

Sunggyu snorted. “You’ve never complained before about people not appreciating your latte art.”

“I put a lot of care into it, because he was so bedraggled and drenched and probably felt miserable,” Woohyun grumped. “I thought seeing it would make him feel better.” 

“Well,” Dongwoo said. “He liked it enough to return and order another hazelnut latte. I suppose that’s a good sign.” 

Woohyun shrugged. “Yeah, but he’s probably so angry now that he’ll never return again. Um, I’m sorry, Sunggyu-hyung? For chasing away a customer.” 

Sunggyu clapped him on the back. “Then you’re on washing duty, as penance.” 

Woohyun groaned. “Yes, hyung.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hodong's backstory has been embellished for the sake of the fic :D/


	3. I'm sorry if you're sorry

After that incident, Howon did not return to the cafe, much to Woohyun’s chagrin. He’d felt even guiltier after he found a nice handwritten note in the paper bag with the towels and clothes, thanking Woohyun for helping him out that day.

But part of him was still upset with Howon for insulting his drawings. After all, he was studying graphic design. He knew he could draw pretty well. Did Howon mean the insult, or was he being petty?

He brooded on it and bugged Sunggyu and Sungyeol about it until they swatted at him to leave them alone.

“If you want to know so much, go ask Dongwoo to set up a meeting with him,” Sunggyu said dismissively.

“No!” Woohyun said. “That’s...that’s being desperate.”

“Well, you’re being desperate,” Sungyeol pointed out. “But you’re desperately asking the wrong people.”

Woohyun grumbled.

“Well, your shift’s over, so you can go wander around and hope you bump into him,” Sunggyu said mercilessly. “Go.”

“Hyung is so mean,” Woohyun complained, but obediently grabbed his things and left. The book he’d ordered at the nearby bookstore had come in, and he needed to go pick it up anyway.

He strolled the few blocks down to the bookstore called “The Writer’s Block”, inwardly snorting at the lame shop name. He pushed open the door, hearing the soft chime of bells announce his entry.

“Hi, welcome to - ” The soft voice that stopped in mid-sentence sounded familiar. Woohyun looked up from his phone and saw -

“Hodong?” he blurted out, immediately slapping himself as he saw Howon’s face darken. “I mean! Howon-sshi! I’m sorry!”

Howon’s expression cleared, although he was still eyeing Woohyun warily. Taking it as a good sign, Woohyun took a deep breath, pushed all his stubborn manly pride down, and started talking.

“I’m really, really sorry about the other day! I misheard your name and still had the nerve to get upset with you - I’m such a horrible staff. I’ve been thoroughly disciplined by my manager and he’s given me lots of dishwashing duty as punishment. I was wrong - you have every right to customize your drink however you like it, and it doesn’t matter if you appreciate my latte art or not.” Woohyun pursed his lips and looked as sad and contrite as he could.

Howon blinked at him in surprise.

“Um. But.” Woohyun fidgeted. “Could I ask you a question?”

“Uh. I guess?” Howon said.

Woohyun took a deep breath. “Do you really think my drawings suck?” he asked timidly.

Howon stared at him.

Woohyun pouted. “You said they looked like blobs. But...I compared them with proper pictures of hearts and...they look the same.”

Howon bit his lip, and Woohyun could see his ears turning red.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity (but was probably just a minute or so), Howon finally spoke up. “I...should apologize too,” he said. “I was upset over the name mix-up although it was clear that it was an accident. The hearts were cute, but would attract attention, so I was annoyed.” He looked down. “They’re not blobs.”

Woohyun sparkled. “Really?” It felt like the sun had come out, as Howon lifted his head, looked at Woohyun with his pretty brown eyes and smiled at him.

“Yeah,” he said. “And um. Your iced hazelnut latte’s pretty good, too.”

“Please come back and buy it again! I’ll give you your next drink for free!” Woohyun blurted out. He made a mental note to always give Howon an extra squeeze of syrup.

“Okay,” Howon said.

Woohyun took a deep breath. “So, I’ll see you around?”

“Yeah, I guess?”

“Okay then, bye!” Woohyun waved, feeling relieved but at the same time, like he’d forgotten something.

The bells had barely stopped tinkling as Woohyun left when suddenly they clanged noisily, Woohyun yanking the door open again.

“Oh my god, I’m stupid,” Woohyun said to a clueless, confused Howon. “I came here to pick up the book I reserved.”

“Oh.” Howon checked a small notebook. “Nam Woohyun? The Professional’s Guide to Drawing Anime Characters?”  
“Y-Y-Yes.” Woohyun felt the rest of his pride shrivel up and die. “It’s for a friend.”

“Okay.” Howon grabbed the book and rang it up. “So, uh, Dongwoo-hyung didn’t tell you I was working here?”

“No,” Woohyun replied. “I’m - I’m not stalking you or anything, really! I didn’t even know you were working here!”

Howon stifled a smile. “Okay.”

Woohyun paid for his book. Howon put it in a bag and gave it to him.

“So...I’ll see you around?” Woohyun said sheepishly.

“Yeah.” Howon grinned at him, and Woohyun mentally revised his nickname for Howon to Pretty Brown Eyes with that Gorgeous Smile.


	4. Awkward turtles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I really have no idea where this is going omg I'm so sorry
> 
> Uhm if you guys have any prompts/shenanigans you wanna see wooya get up to, feel free to comment 8D

Howon adjusted his glasses, pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his head and picked up his heavy backpack.

“Bye, hyung,” Sungjong yawned, perched on a stool behind the cashier counter. “Are you heading back to the dorm?”

Howon shook his head. “I need to study. I’ll probably go to the library.”

“Oh.” Sungjong wrinkled his nose. “I heard it’s been overrun by medical students studying for their exams.”

Howon shrugged. “I’ll just have to try.”

An hour later, he was sorely regretting not listening to Sungjong (as always). He’d thought that since there were so many libraries on campus, he’d be able to find a spot to study, but alas, he was mistaken. If there wasn’t a student at the table, a stack of textbooks would be in the spot, reserving a seat for a currently missing student. And Howon, though annoyed, was not about to shove the textbooks to the side to take the spot and risk a quarrel with someone.

He couldn’t go back to his dorm either, because he’d agreed to allow Dongwoo and his project teammates to use the place to discuss their choreography project. And he’d already learnt that he couldn’t study anywhere within a 10m radius of Dongwoo.

Howon hefted his backpack and thought for a moment.

There was Moonbucks Cafe....

But what if the customers there recognised him? Howon cringed at the horrible memories of his first visit there and the humiliating second time with the childish quarrel. Sure, he’d made up with that handsome barista, but what if he still held a grudge against Howon and spat in his drink?

Besides, he didn’t even know if they would kick him out for taking up space.

In the end, he reluctantly decided to pay a visit to the cafe. If it was too crowded, he could always get an iced hazelnut latte to go and find somewhere else to study. And hopefully he wouldn’t be around.

Unluckily for him, the cafe had some customers, but wasn’t too crowded, and Nam Woohyun was around, serving customers with a smile.

He broke into a giant smile when he saw Howon in the doorway. “Hey! Hodong!”

Howon cringed and retreated.

“Ahhhhh no I’m sorry! Howon-sshi!” Woohyun practically leapt forward and tugged Howon into the cafe, before dropping his arm in horror. “Oh my god, I’m sorry for forcing you to come in!”

Sungyeol rolled his eyes and secretly set up his handphone to film the entire thing.

“It’s - It’s fine,” Howon said.

“Here, take a seat,” Woohyun said, ushering him to a table in the center of the room. Howon shook his head and retreated into a corner with a small table and a lone chair.

“I’ll - I’ll sit here,” he said gruffly, finally putting his heavy backpack down with a sigh of relief.

“O-Okay,” Woohyun said. “Um, what would you like to drink? Iced hazelnut latte?”

Howon nodded, trying not to look at Woohyun directly. He could feel his ears turning red, and he pulled his hood tighter over his head so his ears wouldn’t show.

“Alright, it’ll be on the house,” Woohyun said meekly, returning to the counter to start making the drink.

Howon fidgeted, realizing he hadn’t asked if he could study here. He cast a furtive glance around, and saw that the cafe was mostly empty, and the few customers that were there were deep in conversation, lingering over cups of coffee.

Figuring it would be alright if he studied here, he pulled out his textbook on contract law, groaning inwardly as he recalled the number of pages he had to read before he could even start on the tutorial questions. He fished out his spectacle case and put on his spectacles, opening his book.

“Here you go!” Woohyun’s voice suddenly piped up from behind him and he squeaked in surprise. “Oh. Umm. Did I scare you?”

Howon winced and shook his head. “Sorry.”

“Anyway, here’s your iced hazelnut latte.” Woohyun set it down. Howon noted that the plastic cup didn’t have anything drawn or written on it. Strangely, he felt disappointed.

“Thank you,” Howon said softly. “Um, it’s okay if I study here, right?”

“Oh yeah, don’t worry about it,” Woohyun said cheerfully. “Besides, we don’t get many customers in the afternoon. If you need a power point, there’s one in the corner behind you.”

“Ok. Thanks.” Howon nodded gratefully.

“Let me know if you need anything,” Woohyun said, smiling at him. “I’ll go back to work now.”

“Okay.” Howon’s neck was starting to ache from all the nodding. “Thank you.”

This was such a bad idea, Howon thought to himself. It was so awkward. What had possessed him to think that he could come back after that terrible squabble? Obviously Woohyun was still holding a grudge, his smile looked so practiced. Although - Howon took a sip of his drink - his iced hazelnut latte was perfect. But he didn’t draw anything for him. Howon sneaked a peek at other people’s plastic cups and saw that their plastic cups all had things drawn on them. He felt oddly relieved and yet left out at the same time.

Shaking his head, he focused back on the tiny black words in front of him. He had to get this done, or he’d suffer in class tomorrow.


	5. It's not favoritism, it's good business

It’d been about a week since Howon had ventured to Moonbucks Cafe to study and although he’d spent most of the week’s afternoons studying there, he was still intensely awkward with Woohyun. Or maybe it was because Woohyun was so awkward with him.

And he still wasn’t drawing anything on Howon’s plastic cups.

Well, it didn’t matter, Howon supposed. He wasn’t there to make friends with the staff, he was there to study.

Still, when he entered the cafe and realized Woohyun wasn’t there, he felt somewhat relieved (and then guilty that he felt relieved).

“Heya,” Sungyeol greeted him cheerfully. “Woohyun’s not here today, he’s got classes. Do you want your usual?”

Howon nodded. “Thanks.”

“Don’t you want to try anything else on our menu?” Sungyeol asked. “We bake stuff too, you know. Oh hey - I think Sunggyu-hyung’s trying out new dessert recipes - do you want to sample them later?”

“Okay,” Howon said dubiously. “But I have a sweet tooth, so I’m not sure that I’ll be accurate…”

Sungyeol waved a dismissive hand. “Nah, don’t worry about that.”

A few hours later…

Howon hadn’t got much work done, but he hadn’t eaten much dessert either.

“I see why you said it didn’t matter if I had a sweet tooth or not,” Howon said. They were gazing at another of Sunggyu’s potential new desserts, poking at the wobbly brown mass on a plate.

“What’s it supposed to be again, hyung?” Sungyeol asked.

Sunggyu sighed. “Chocolate pudding with a lava core.”

Howon stabbed it through with a fork and it deflated. “No lava, but it doesn’t look like pudding either.”

“Looks like poo,” Sungyeol declared. “Fail.”

Howon nodded solemnly. “That’s 9 out of 10 fails. Only the yuzu ice cream waffle passed.”

“That’s because the yuzu ice cream was bought from the grocery store and the waffle batter was made by Woohyun,” Sunggyu said, exasperated.

“Exactly! That's why it was delicious!” Sungyeol snickered, and exchanged a high five with Howon.

“I think you might want to reconsider making desserts, Sunggyu-hyung,” Howon said carefully. “Maybe you should consider hiring someone to make desserts for you instead.”

“No need to consider, hyung, just do it,” Sungyeol urged. “You have Woohyun now, but he’s not going to stay around forever.”

“Speaking of which,” Howon sipped his iced hazelnut latte, looking thoughtful. “It feels like something’s missing from this drink.”

“Really?” Sungyeol looked upset. “I thought I followed the recipe exactly!”

Howon took another sip. “Yeah. It feels like it’s a little different from the one Woohyun-sshi makes.”

“But I made it for some other regulars just now and none of them complained.” Sungyeol scratched his head. “Maybe Woohyun added something?”

“Did it taste any different from the first hazelnut latte he made you?” Sunggyu asked curiously.

“Um, yeah,” Howon said seriously. “One was hot and the other cold.”

Sunggyu rapped his head. “Don’t be a smartass.”

Sungyeol sniggered. Just then, the door bells chimed and Woohyun walked in.

“Oh, hey, perfect timing!” Sungyeol waved Woohyun over. “Hey, what did you put in Howon’s hazelnut latte?”

Woohyun froze, looking like a scared deer caught in headlights. “Uhhhhh what?”

“Howon says the iced hazelnut latte I made for him tastes different from the ones you make for him!” Sungyeol said. “So own up now, what did you put in it? You didn’t spit in it, did you?”

Woohyun looked affronted. “Of course not.” He scratched his head. “Um, I don’t know if Sunggyu-hyung will scold me for this, though…”

Sunggyu folded his arms. “Spill first, then I’ll decide.”

“I just gave him an extra squeeze of hazelnut syrup,” Woohyun said, looking embarrassed. “I did it the first time, when I drew on his plastic cup...and he said he liked the drink, so I just continued to do it.”

“Oh!” Sungyeol said. “Biased!”

Woohyun bristled. “Not like you don’t give extras to that pretty boy photographer wannabe that comes in for Americano! He always leaves with ‘leftovers’ that are actually your teatime snacks!”

“Obviously they’re leftovers, since I don’t want them,” Sungyeol retorted. “And he’s not a wannabe! He’s been featured in exhibitions!”

Howon’s eyes had widened, staring at Woohyun, who had a light flush on his cheeks as he argued with Sungyeol and studiously avoided Howon’s gaze.

Sunggyu coughed. “So, should I take the cost of the extra syrup out of your pay?” he asked Woohyun.

“No!” Howon and Woohyun said simultaneously.

Then they blushed and looked away from each other.

“I mean, he did it because I said it was nice the first time,” Howon said. “So it’s not his fault. And if he didn’t do it, I might not have returned for more drinks.”

“What he said!” Woohyun flailed. “I’ll - um - I’ll bake more desserts!”

“Deal,” Sunggyu said, satisfied. “Sungyeol, man the cashier. Woohyun, get changed and meet me in the kitchen.” He left Howon’s table.

Sungyeol grumbled, but moved back to the counter.

Woohyun rubbed the nape of his neck sheepishly. “Um, sorry about that.”

“It’s okay,” Howon said. “Um, thanks for the drink. It really does taste better when you make it.”

“Thanks,” Woohyun said. “Uh, I have something for you.” He rummaged in his backpack and pulled out a tumbler. “Here.”

Howon took it. “This is…”

“I know you didn’t really like my drawings, but I didn’t know how else to make it up to you…” Woohyun grinned sheepishly. “So I hope you like this.”

Howon peered at the tumbler. It was a normal black tumbler, but the design was special. It was a colorful drawing of the Moonbucks store interior, complete with an intensely cute and adorable cartoon-sized drawing of…

“Is that me?” Howon said aloud, staring at the cute, chibi-fied drawing of a boy with big round eyes and purple spectacles.

“Yeah, it’s you…” Woohyun said, trailing off. “Uh, I know it’s a weird present for a guy, but -”

“I like it,” Howon interrupted him.

“Huh?” Woohyun blinked.

Howon smiled at him. “I like it. It’s very unique. Thanks. Your drawings are really nice.”

Woohyun sparkled. “I’m so glad you like it!”

“Woohyun!” Sunggyu called out impatiently.

“Do you want anything else? More hazelnut latte? Dessert?” Woohyun asked quickly.

“Another iced hazelnut latte would be nice,” said Howon.

“Ok! I’ll make it for you!” Woohyun nodded earnestly.

“And by the way, Woohyun-sshi,” Howon called out as Woohyun left to make the order. “My name’s Howon.”

Woohyun blinked. “I know that.”

Howon shook his head impatiently. “Yes, so make sure you write it on the cup,” he said. “And draw whatever you like. Heart blobs are fine too.” He grinned sheepishly.

Woohyun sparkled even harder and broke into a gigantic smile that reached his eyes. “Okay!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I edited the earlier chapters to make Howon a law student (:


	6. Cuddling is prohibited

Woohyun fluffed up the last fat cushion and arranged it nicely on the small sofa. He affixed the hand drawn sign “Cuddle Corner” to the wall above the sofa and dusted his hands, satisfied with his work. 

“Why do we need a cuddle corner?” Sunggyu had asked. 

“To make our cafe more warm and cozy!” Woohyun had declared. “It’s for couples, or for anyone who’s had a bad day and wants to sink into a comfortable couch and hug some fat cushions and feel better.” 

Sunggyu rolled his eyes. “If we get complaints about indecent behavior, you’ll take responsibility.” 

After one morning and half an afternoon of business, the cuddle corner proved surprisingly popular. Couples giggled as they sank into the comfortable sofa, sitting nearer each other than they would at a normal cafe table, happily sipping their drinks. Thankfully, none of them had engaged in overly heavy petting, other than an occasional hug or kiss. Perhaps the fact that the cafe was a public place deterred them. 

The cuddle corner was empty when Howon walked in around 4 pm, carrying his usual backpack full of heavy books and his laptop. Woohyun smiled at him and greeted him cheerfully. “Welcome to Moonbucks Cafe, Howon! Do you want your usual?” 

Howon nodded at him with a small smile. “Yes, please.”

It’d been three weeks since Howon had started coming regularly to the cafe to study. In that time, Woohyun had learnt that Howon had a sweet tooth, really liked the cafe’s hazelnut lattes and was studying law. He roomed with Jang Dongwoo, and because he didn’t study well with too much noise, he couldn’t study in his room whenever Dongwoo was in. Unfortunately for him, Dongwoo often appeared at the cafe as well, although he tried hard not to bother Howon. 

When he finished making the drink, he realized Howon had settled into the cuddle corner, looking extremely comfortable. He set the drink down on the table. “Do you want any desserts?” he asked. 

“Not right now,” Howon said. “Maybe after I’m halfway through my readings and need some sugar.” He smiled weakly. “Reading about constitutional law is tiring.” 

“It sounds tiring and boring,” Woohyun said honestly. 

“It might be to most people,” Howon said. “But I guess I’m a bit of a masochist, because I find it interesting, although it’s tiring and frustrating.” 

“Frustrating?” Woohyun asked. “How so?”

Howon jabbed a finger at his textbook and pile of readings next to it. “Some articles are so outdated. It’s so annoying to read about opinions that were relevant two decades ago. And then my classmates parrot whatever’s written in them in class just to get marks for class participation!” He grimaced. “Sometimes I wonder why they’re in law school when they don’t have a single original opinion in their head.” 

Woohyun smiled at his disgruntledness. “Then you should speak up and shoot all of them down,” he said. “I’m sure you have many good things to say.” 

“Well,” Howon said, looking suddenly bashful. “It’s...hard.” 

“Hard? Why?” Woohyun questioned curiously. 

Howon fidgeted. “It’s easy to talk to you now, but in front of a class of people...it’s hard.” He bit his lip and glanced down at his textbook and articles. 

Woohyun was a decent reader of body language, and figured it wasn’t fair to keep pressing Howon about himself when the law student had come here to study. “Oops, I shouldn’t keep you from studying, and I have chores to do. Study hard!” He smiled reassuringly at Howon, who nodded, relieved. 

Woohyun puttered about behind the counter, opening and closing the cash register randomly and trying not to squeal at how cute Howon was. He’d put on his spectacles and was clutching an overstuffed cushion while he gazed intently at his textbook, occasionally highlighting a sentence or writing something in the margins. His tongue stuck out the side of his mouth, randomly swiping over his lips like there was candy on them. 

Someone tapped him on the shoulder and he yelped, attracting the attention of everyone in the cafe. 

“Hehe, sorry,” he said sheepishly, before glaring at Sunggyu, who was regarding him balefully. 

“What is it, hyung,” he hissed. “You scared me!” 

Sunggyu rolled his eyes. “Only because you were too busy ogling your cutie nerd.” 

“He’s not my cutie nerd,” Woohyun denied hotly. “Anyway, what do you want?”

Sunggyu pointed at the sink. “Wash the cups and dishes.” 

Woohyun sulked, because it would mean he’d have to turn his back to Howon. “But…” 

“No buts. Do it. Now.” Sunggyu narrowed his eyes threateningly. 

“Fine,” Woohyun grumbled. “By the way, hyung, when you narrow your eyes like that, can you still see?”

“Shut up, you impertinent brat.”

* * *

By the time Woohyun finished washing everything in the sink - which was made harder when Sunggyu dumped his unwashed utensils and equipment from baking into the sink when he was nearly done - it’d been nearly 45 minutes. 

He’d resisted turning around while washing, because he felt it would be too obvious that he was staring at Howon if he did so. But when he finally turned around, he regretted not turning around earlier. 

Howon had fallen asleep on the table, still clutching the overstuffed cushion to his chest with one hand. His pen dangled loosely from his other hand. 

Sungyeol nudged him. “Why don’t you go wake him up? He’s taking up precious table space and not ordering anything.” 

“But he must be so tired, to fall asleep like that,” Woohyun argued. “Let him sleep for a while.”

Sungyeol shrugged, and headed off to clean the other tables. 

Woohyun occupied himself with the coffee machine, glancing at Howon now and then. He’d learned a lot more about the law student in the past few weeks, like how he had a mischievous streak and a sharp tongue, but also how he stammered and flushed easily if there were too many people staring at him. Right now he looked positively angelic while fast asleep. Woohyun felt a little sorry for him; he must have been studying really hard to nod off like this. He wondered if he should offer him a nice dessert later when he woke up. 

The chimes over the door rang and a person pranced in. 

Woohyun twitched. “Dinosaur,” he blurted out. 

“Hi!” Dongwoo said brightly. “I heard Howon’s studying here, so I came to look for him!” He spun around in a circle - and then spun a few more times just because he could. “Oh, there he is!” He trotted over. 

Woohyun cringed. “Um, Dongwoo-hyung…” he trailed off, wanting to stop Dongwoo from waking Howon up but at the same time hesitant to. 

“Hmm, what’s this?” Dongwoo peered at the sign. “Cuddle corner?” He looked at the sofa, at Howon, at the cushions, and his eyes lit up. “Cool!” 

Before Woohyun could even blink, Dongwoo had squashed himself onto the sofa with Howon, cuddling him enthusiastically, his arms wrapped around Howon’s middle. 

“Uh, hyung,” Woohyun said lamely. “Don’t you think you might disturb Howon like that? It doesn’t look comfortable.” 

Dongwoo shrugged. “If he wakes up, I’ll pack up his things and drag him back for dinner.” He squeezed tighter. “He’s getting skinnier and skinnier.” 

“Has he been studying really hard?” Woohyun couldn’t help but ask. 

“I think so,” Dongwoo said thoughtfully. ‘I mean, he doesn’t study when I’m around, because I’m too noisy, but he’s been leaving the dorm early and coming back pretty late.” 

“Oh.” Woohyun bit his lip. He really didn’t like the fact that Dongwoo was cuddling Howon, but why? Was it because they were two grown men and he was worried other customers would complain? At that moment, he really regretted his decision to create the Cuddle Corner and wished he had never thought of it at all.

“Maybe you should rename this corner to the Rest Corner instead of the Cuddle Corner,” Dongwoo said. “I mean, anyone could come in and just cuddle him! That’s not very safe.” 

“Then you could stop,” Woohyun said. “Like, immediately.” 

“But it’s the cuddle corner, and he’s sitting in it. So I can cuddle him,” Dongwoo argued. 

“I want out,” Howon said, voice muffled and hoarse from sleep. Woohyun sighed in relief.

“Oh! You’re awake!” Dongwoo cuddled Howon. “Good morning, sleeping beauty.” 

“Get off me,” Howon grumbled. “You’re heavy.” He pushed at Dongwoo, who cuddled him a little more before finally letting go. 

“Lee Howon!” Dongwoo announced. “We need to go back and get dinner! Your mother will have my head if she sees you looking like the sack of skin and bones you are.” He prodded Howon’s shoulder. “Come on. We’ll go get dinner at my parents’ restaurant. Then you can go back to the dorm and crash.”

“But I still have readings,” Howon moaned. “What will I do…” 

“Read them, of course,” Dongwoo said. “But not now. You need food.” He tugged at Howon, who finally began to move reluctantly, stuffing books into his backpack. “I’ll go say hi to Sunggyu-hyung!” He skipped off. 

“Here, let me help,” Woohyun said, helping Howon stuff his books and stationery into his bag. “You should get some rest, you were fast asleep just now.” 

Howon shrugged. “The readings never end.” 

“Yeah, but you can’t process anything if you’re too tired,” Woohyun said solemnly. “You should eat something and rest a little, at least.” 

Howon smiled. “I will. Thanks, Woohyun.” 

“Come back next time for lunch or dinner,” Woohyun blurted out as Howon was preparing to leave. “I’ll whip up my special for you.” 

Howon waved in acknowledgment before Dongwoo dragged him out the door. 

 

(“You know, the first time you fell asleep in the Cuddle Corner, I was so jealous. I didn’t realize it immediately, but I was very jealous.”

“Of Dongwoo-hyung? Then why didn’t you just close the Cuddle Corner?” 

“Because I was going to make sure I woke you up the next time you fell asleep there.” 

“Oh. But I didn’t sit there anymore...because I didn’t want people cuddling me.” 

“Yeah.” Sulk. “You still don’t sit there, even though we’re together now…” 

“Hmmm...maybe to make it up to you, I’ll go sit there tomorrow? And try really hard to fall asleep?” 

“I can help with that. If you’re really tired, you’ll be able to fall asleep easily tomorrow in the cafe…”)


	7. Picture Perfect

“That’s all for today, class,” Howon’s professor announced. “Remember to read the listed articles before the tutorial class.” 

Howon gathered up his books and stuffed them into his bag. His phone buzzed, and he slipped it out from his jeans pocket. He’d received a message from Dongwoo. 

_You’ve just finished your class, right? Let’s get lunch!_

Howon twitched. Before he could even reply, another message came in. 

_And don’t even say you’re going to skip lunch to study, or I’ll tell Sungjong._

Howon grimaced. Having Dongwoo nagging him regularly was bad enough, but if he told Sungjong...he shuddered. That would not go down well. 

His phone buzzed again. _I’ll see you in the cafeteria in 5 minutes!_

He sighed and slung his backpack over his shoulder.

* * *

“Yah, Howon, I wasn’t sure if you were going to show up!” Dongwoo said brightly the minute he saw him. “You didn’t reply to any messages I sent you even though you read them!” 

“You didn’t give me a chance to, hyung,” Howon deadpanned. “And you basically threatened me with capital punishment if I didn’t show up.” 

“Hmmm, guess I did,” Dongwoo hummed. “Anyway! Go get your food!”

Howon set his bag down and trotted off to the food stalls, standing away from them and pondering what he should get for lunch. Chinese? Western? Stew? Bibimbap? 

While he was still pondering, he suddenly felt an arm wrap around his shoulders, startling him. He let out a gasp, head whipping to the side - and knocking into the other person’s head. 

“Ow!” they both yelped simultaneously, clutching their heads in pain. Howon bent over while holding his head, trying to breathe through the pain. He was certain there was going to be a lump tomorrow.

“Sorry!” the other man yelped. “I’m so sorry!” Howon blinked through the haze of pain. That voice sounded familiar. 

“Are you okay?” Hands grabbed at his shoulders, trying to help him to stand upright. “...Howon? Is that you?”

Howon carefully and slowly straightened his back, making sure he didn’t hit any more body parts along the way. “Woohyun,” he said in greeting, rubbing the lump on his forehead. 

“Does it hurt? Did I give you a concussion? Do you need to go to the clinic?” Woohyun looked panicky. Fingers carded through Howon’s hair, searching for injuries, and Howon took a step back, hyper-aware of the attention they were getting in the cafeteria and loathing it. 

“I’m okay,” he said. “I didn’t know you studied here.” 

“Ah, yeah, I’m studying art and design,” Woohyun said. “I’m really sorry about earlier,” he said sheepishly. “I wanted to surprise you but I ended up injuring you…” 

Howon shook his head. “It’s not your fault, I reacted too suddenly.” 

“Are you having lunch?” Woohyun asked. 

“Um, yeah, with Dongwoo-hyung over in that corner,” Howon said, gesturing in the direction of their table. “Do you want to join us?” 

“Yes!” Woohyun said. “Here - I’ll order food for you, you go sit down and rest your head.” 

“I’m fine,” Howon protested. 

“What do you want to eat?” Woohyun asked briskly, ignoring Howon’s protests. “The stews are good, the bibimbap is really filling -”

“Yes, Woohyun, I know, I’ve eaten here for two years,” Howon said dryly, not able to help himself. “I’ll have a kimchi stew set, thank you.” He made his way back to his seat before Woohyun could respond to that jibe. 

“I saw you knock your head into Woohyun’s,” Dongwoo announced happily when Howon returned to their table. “How did it feel?”

“Painful,” Howon said. “Duh. Hyung, how did you pass your exams?”

“By filling in the right answers on the exam paper, obviously,” Dongwoo said sagely. “So where’s your food?” 

“He said he’d order it for me. He’s coming to sit with us.” Howon sat down and tugged his heavy backpack onto the seat next to his. 

Dongwoo frowned. "Why are you placing your bag on the chair? That's so antisocial." 

"You could carry it for me," Howon retorted. "It's heavy and big." 

"But if you put it there it'll look like you don't want Woohyun to sit next to you," Dongwoo pointed out. "That's mean." 

Howon twitched. "Then you sit with him."

"But he's sitting with us for you," Dongwoo said sweetly. 

Howon rubbed his temples. "Fine. I'll put it on the floor. We'll see who he sits next to."

Dongwoo rubbed his hands together gleefully. "Deal. If he sits next to you, you owe me a drink." 

"Okay." Howon actually had his suspicions, but his pride wouldn't let him back down. 

True enough, when Woohyun came over to the table, he put the tray of food down and slid in next to Howon. "Hi, Dongwoo-hyung," he said cheerfully. "How's it going?"

Dongwoo cackled. "Very well, thanks to you."

"Huh?" Woohyun looked at Howon, who was sulking. "Did I miss something?"

Howon shook his head. "Nothing important. Let's eat." 

They chatted comfortably about school, swapping stories of classmates and classes. It turned out that Howon and Woohyun had actually been in several electives together previously. 

"I didn't see you in Cyber Security at all, though," Howon said dubiously. "It wasn't that large a class." 

"Haha, well, I might have skipped some classes...maybe all the classes..." Woohyun laughed sheepishly. "The lecturer put his lectures online, so there was no incentive to go to class." 

Howon rolled his eyes. 

"I have to take Intellectual Property law next term, though," grumbled Woohyun. "Because it's important to us. But it's so boring." He looked hopefully at Howon. "I don't suppose I could borrow your notes?" 

"You should ask him for tutoring in exchange for free drinks," Dongwoo prompted. "Howon's a really good student."

"Would you?" Woohyun nudged Howon and looked really hopeful. 

"I guess?" Howon said, and instinctively shrank away as Woohyun practically flung arms around him. 

He knew he was behaving weirdly, but had no idea why. He didn't particularly enjoy human contact, and didn't like it when people encroached on his personal space, but somehow this felt different. He put up with Dongwoo's touching and occasional groping because Dongwoo was touchy like that, but he'd never felt like he had to return the touch. He could just sit there and study and ignore Dongwoo while Dongwoo pawed him. 

But with Woohyun...it was completely different. He recoiled on purpose because a part of him wanted to lean into the touch. Wanted to press into the warmth of Woohyun's lean body and maybe sneak an arm around his back. He'd never wanted to hug someone so much before, not even his mother. 

It frightened him, and so he purposely pulled away, trying very hard to pretend he couldn't see the hurt in Woohyun's eyes as he righted himself and sat away from Howon. 

Dongwoo laughed. "Yah, it's not like Woohyun's going to eat you." 

"He might," Howon said darkly, trying to turn the whole situation into a joke. "You never know!" 

Woohyun laughed. "That's right, I eat law students for breakfast."

"But won't they give you indigestion?" Dongwoo sniggered. “They’re so full of prickly, critical opinions.”

"I'm sure Howon will behave." Woohyun winked, and Howon felt his face flush with heat. He looked down at the remnants of his kimchi stew, studiously ignoring the two of them. 

"Hyung!" Another guy called out, and Woohyun's head turned. "Oh, Myungsoo-yah. Come to have lunch?" 

"Yes," he sounded reproachful. Howon watched out the corner of his eye as the handsome newcomer poked at Woohyun's shoulder, pouting. "You didn't tell me you were going to have lunch."

"But you're never free for lunch," Woohyun said. "You're always stuck in that darkroom of yours developing photos or playing with developing fluid and you never see the sun. Or you're busy hanging out at Moonbucks with Sungyeol and flirting." 

Myungsoo hit his shoulder. "I don't flirt with Sungyeol!" 

"Ha, could have fooled me,” Woohyun snorted.

"I do not!" Myungsoo turned curious eyes to Woohyun’s lunch buddies. 

"Oh, this is Jang Dongwoo, who's majoring in dance, and this is Lee Howon, a law student," Woohyun introduced them. "This is Kim Myungsoo, majoring in photography under my faculty. He's my junior." 

Howon finally reluctantly lifted his head and gave Myungsoo a polite smile. "Hi. Um, I need to go study now, so..."

"Wait!" Myungsoo yelped, suddenly grabbing Howon's face in his two hands and staring at him intently. 

"Eh?!" Howon blinked in shock as his face was roughly manhandled and a very handsome face came far too close to his for his liking. So close that if either of them were pushed, they would kiss.

"You're perfect!" Myungsoo cried, and Howon winced as his breath and a few specks of saliva hit his face. "Just what I've been looking for!"

"Yah, let go of him," Woohyun said crossly, pulling Myungsoo's hands off Howon's cheeks. "Is this how you greet people you meet for the first time?" 

Myungsoo paid no heed to Woohyun's scolding or Dongwoo's cackling. "Hyung!" he said to Howon, eyes shining. "Howon-hyung!"

"You've just met him, stop being so informal!" Woohyun squawked. 

Myungsoo conveniently ignored him. "Hyung! Will you go out with me?"

Howon blinked. 

Dongwoo let out a loud gasp. 

Woohyun yelled "no!" so loudly that neighboring tables turned to look in their direction. 

"Yah, Kim Myungsoo," Woohyun said, hands flailing. "You can't just ask people you meet for the first time out like that. It's not proper!" 

Myungsoo stared at him. "But I want him to model for me."

"Model?" Woohyun repeated stupidly. 

Myungsoo nodded, eyes shining. He grabbed at Howon's face again. "He's so handsome! With some styling and makeup, he'd be a perfect model for my project!" He pulled off Howon's spectacles. "Look!" 

"Um, please return me my spectacles," Howon finally said. "You should probably ask for permission before doing something like that."

"And you shouldn't touch people's faces!" Woohyun added. 

Myungsoo had finally calmed down and looked chastened. "I'm sorry! It's just that - hyung, you have a lot of potential. You should wear contacts. You look like you stepped out of a romance manga."

Howon shook his head, smiling. "I think that's you," he said. "Anyway, I'm not sure about this modelling thing. I don't have any experience."

"It's ok! We can do a natural photoshoot. Would you like to come over and see my portfolio? Maybe it'll help you!" 

"I guess I could, but I have to go study right now so I can't do it today," Howon said.

"It's ok! We can meet up another day! Here, give me your number and I'll message you." Myungsoo whipped out his handphone and made Howon key in his number. "By the way, Howon-hyung, I really like your outfit. Black is always in." He cast a disparaging eye over Woohyun. "Animal prints, however, are really hit or miss - it all depends on the person wearing them."

Woohyun brushed imaginary fluff off the shoulder of his leopard print shirt and said loudly, "But plaid - even black plaid - is never in. Howon-ah, make sure you never buy or wear plaid. I know someone who bought 30 plaid shirts. One for every day of the month. What a waste of money." 

Howon looked confused, but nodded. "Uh, okay." 

Dongwoo nodded. "His favorite color is actually purple, though. He stopped wearing his purple clothes because Sungjong complained that it felt like he was working with a giant Tinky-Winky."

"You didn't have to tell them that, hyung," Howon complained. "Anyway, it's been nice meeting you, but I need to go to the library." He grabbed his bag, hoping to make a quick getaway.

"Stop by the cafe later?" Woohyun called out at the last minute. 

"I'll try," Howon said apologetically. "My readings are starting to pile up. Bye!" 

Dongwoo waved energetically. "See you!"

"Bye hyung, remember what I said about modelling!" Myungsoo said happily. "I'll find you!" 

"You sound like a stalker," Woohyun scolded him. "Now he'll think I'm weird for having a junior like you."

Howon's smile was a little stiff. "Um, ok. Subject to my schedule, though." 

"Bye, Howonnie." Woohyun smiled at him, and Howon felt his cheeks heat. He turned away abruptly and walked away from that too-lovely smile and too-attractive man. 

And he wasn't referring to Myungsoo.


	8. Heartlessness

"Where is he?" Woohyun grumbled. "It's been a week and he hasn't showed up!"

Sungyeol paused while mopping the floor to look at Woohyun. "Ask him, then. Aren't you two buddies now?"

"But I'd look like a stalker," Woohyun complained. "And I don't have his number."

"Get it from Dongwoo-hyung or Myungsoo, then," Sungyeol said practically. "Stop pining and come help me with the chores before Sunggyu-hyung throws a fit."

Woohyun sighed, but grabbed a towel and started wiping down the counter. He knew Sungyeol was right and he could do just that, but some part of him felt it would be so awkward if he did that. If they weren't close enough to exchange numbers, what business did he have prying into Howon's personal life? Were they really friends? Or just customer and barista? Everything felt awkward to Woohyun and he said as much to Sungyeol.

"Well," Sungyeol said thoughtfully while cleaning the windows. "Howon doesn't seem like the kind to take offense if you get his number and message him. If you phrase it nicely and show concern, he can't really get upset or freaked out at your stalker tendencies. You just need to hide them properly."

Woohyun threw his cloth at Sungyeol. "I am not a stalker!"

"Ewww, Gyu-hyung, Woohyun threw a dirty rag at me!" Sungyeol complained.

Sunggyu rolled his eyes and ignored them.

"What if he's really busy? I'd be irritating him," Woohyun continued to fret.

"You could ask Dongwoo," Sungyeol suggested. "Aren't they roommates? He should know."

But Dongwoo didn't appear either, and when Sunggyu messaged Dongwoo (after making Woohyun promise to redesign the cafe's menu for free), Dongwoo said that he had gone back to his family home for a week and didn't know what Howon was up to.

"Apparently Howon hasn't replied any of Dongwoo's messages," Sunggyu reported.  
"That's worrying. What if he's in trouble or something?" Woohyun said anxiously.

"Maybe he's just tired of the cafe?" Sunggyu said dryly. "He comes here to study, but you guys are so noisy, he barely gets any studying done. So maybe he's found a new place to study."

"But I leave him alone!" Woohyun squawked. "You're the one who made him taste the yucky desserts!"

"But you draw so many heart blobs on his cups and you're always staring at him longingly, maybe he finally figured it out," Sungyeol pointed out.

"Figured out what?" Woohyun asked.

"That you're a stalker," Sungyeol whispered dramatically.

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not am not am not!"

"Are too are too are too!"

"Children," Sunggyu said absently while restocking the dessert case. "Mop the floor before I fire both of you."

They grabbed mops hurriedly and began mopping.

"Stalker," whispered Sungyeol, and Woohyun stuck his tongue out at him before mopping properly.

But what if Sungyeol was right? What if Howon actually didn't like the heart blobs and was tired of Woohyun and the cafe but didn't have the heart to say so? After all, hearts were a personal thing and while most customers liked them, some found it annoying. Maybe he was being immature. After all, hearts represented love and at his age, he should be taking love more seriously.

Woohyun slumped over his mop. He missed Howon. Missed his shy smile and his witty snark and his shaking hands whenever a girl approached him to try and chat him up (and inevitably fail). Missed the way he glared at Dongwoo whenever the senior annoyed him (which was often). He even missed his weird stick-out ears which reminded him of Dumbo, his favorite Disney character. Howon didn't even have to speak - he just missed seeing him.

"You've got it bad," sighed Sungyeol.

"Shut up," grumbled Woohyun. At this point, he felt like he could do anything just to see Howon again.

But another two weeks passed and there was no sign of Lee Howon. Woohyun haunted the school cafeteria where they had met, but didn't see him either.

"Is this my punishment for giving my hearts away too freely?" Woohyun cried dramatically. "Then I will not draw any more hearts! He must have hated it, that's why he's avoiding the cafe. It's all my fault!"

"You have to draw something though, the customers expect it," Sunggyu said absently while refilling napkins. "I heard they've started a tumblr with pictures of your hand drawn designs. It's good publicity for us."

"Then I'll start drawing smiley faces instead of hearts," Woohyun decided. "Smiles are fine, right?"

"I guess." Sunggyu yawned. "Mm, man the store by yourself, I'm going to take an afternoon nap."

 

Woohyun was the only staff in the empty cafe when Howon finally returned, four weeks after he had stopped coming.

"Welcome to Moonbucks Cafe, home of great coffee and even better desserts," Woohyun said dispiritedly without looking up.

"Woohyun?" said a not-so-familiar (because he hadn't heard it in four weeks) voice.

Woohyun's head snapped up. "Howon!" Then he remembered he was supposed to be ~mature~ and ~calm~ and non-spazzy and he composed himself. "Ahem." He cleared his throat. "What can I get for you?"

"Uh." Howon blinked. "My usual, I guess."

"Your usual?" Woohyun repeated. ' _You don't have a usual you haven't had a usual for four weeks what are you talking about!_ ' ran through his head at the speed of light but he shoved the petty thoughts aside and smiled at Howon. "Sure. Take a seat, I'll bring it to you."

"Ok. Thanks, Woohyun." Howon gave him a small smile and found a seat at an empty table.

Woohyun picked up the plastic cup and hesitated, but wrote Howon's name on it and a big smiley face next to it.

"So," Woohyun said as he made the ice hazelnut latte for Howon. "What have you been up to?"

"I was writing my research paper," Howon yawned. "Slaved over it for the past month. I just handed it in this morning."

"Oh. Oh! You were writing a paper?" Woohyun repeated. "You hadn't been around for so long, I thought something had happened..."

"There was a lot of research to do, so I basically lived at the library and in my dorm room the entire time. Dongwoo got me a lot of instant food before he went to visit his parents," Howon explained.

Woohyun looked at Howon properly, realizing that he was thinner and looked more haggard than before. He also looked really exhausted and had puffy eye bags.

"You should sleep," he said worriedly. "You shouldn't be taking caffeine."

"But I wanted to come here," Howon said, looking around and smiling. "I missed this place. And the people." He smiled at Woohyun, and Woohyun felt his heart skip a beat.

"Okay," Woohyun said. "Fine. You can have your latte. But I'm going to make you something to eat as well. And you can't drink your latte until you've eaten the food."

Howon nodded. "Okay."

Woohyun disappeared into the kitchen to whip up a hot sandwich for Howon, packing it with lots of meat and fresh lettuce. He placed the plate on a tray and put the plastic cup on it as well.

When he returned, Howon had fallen asleep on the table. His hair flopped into his eyes. 

Woohyun set the drink and plate down and gently brushed his hair aside. He could see Howon's long lashes feathering against his soft looking cheeks.

Woohyun swallowed hard. "Uh. Howon," he said softly. "Your food is here."

Howon groaned and pulled himself off the table. "Thanks," he said hoarsely, rubbing his eyes.

"Have you slept at all?" Woohyun asked.

"I pulled an all-nighter to finish," Howon replied, cutting up his sandwich.

"You should rest," Woohyun said again, feeling guilty for moping and holding a grudge when Howon had been frantically writing his paper.

"I will, after I finish your sandwich. It's delicious." Howon looked around. "Also, it's rare that we have the entire cafe to ourselves."

"Yeah," Woohyun agreed, his heart still thumping in his chest. Howon didn't look particularly attractive right now. His eyes were bloodshot and puffy, his skin dull, his hair a rumpled mess, and his clothes were clean but wrinkled. He looked exhausted. But even then, whenever he smiled at Woohyun, something in Woohyun's heart leaped and made him smile back.

Howon finished the food and drink. "Thanks, Woohyun-ah. How much is it?"

"No problem. And don't worry - I'll pay for it - I mean, it's on the house."

"Really?" Howon asked.

Woohyun nodded. "I'm really glad to see you again. I missed you," he blurted out.

Howon smiled shyly. "Ok. Thanks."

"Go and rest," Woohyun said bossily, trying to hide his embarrassment. "I'd walk back with you, but I have to watch the shop. Message me when you reach your room."

"Sure. I don't have your number, though." Howon fished out his phone from his pocket.

"Give it to me." Woohyun recited his number, feeling like he was in a dream.

"By the way," Howon said, stuffing his phone back in his pocket. "I noticed you drew a smiley face on my cup. What happened to the hearts?"

"Oh! Um." Woohyun was struck dumb for a moment. He hadn't expected Howon to notice, much less comment. "It's - a new design! I mean. Hearts are lame." He laughed weakly. "They're girly and fluffy."

"Well, everyone has a heart, so it's not a girl thing." Howon looked thoughtful. "I hope you didn't change it because someone complained."

"No, of course not." Woohyun waved a dismissive hand while he cursed inwardly. "It was my decision."

"Okay. I miss the hearts, though." Howon looked disappointed. "I'll see you."

"Ok sure. Bye!" Woohyun said, watching as Howon left the cafe. He waited until Howon was completely out of sight and wasn't going to turn back before he slumped into the cuddle corner with a whimper.

"I think I like him........"

Howon: hi Woohyun, I'm Howon and I'm home.

Woohyun: !! Good to know. Get some rest.

Howon: I will ^^ thanks for the food and drink.

Woohyun: no problem! :)))))

Woohyun: by the way

Woohyun: I was wondering

Woohyun: would u go out with me?

Howon: ?

Howon: oh

Woohyun: I mean to the library!

Woohyun: exams are coming and we all need to study and I thought we could study together! I'll be a better study buddy than Dongwoo, promise

Howon: oh

Howon: ok, I guess

Howon: let me know when,I'm gonna crash

Howon: see ya

Woohyun: ok! Sure!!!!


	9. Love Letter

Howon sighed. He was seated at his study table in his dorm room, but he hadn't turned over a page of his textbook in the past hour.

"That's your 60th sigh in the past hour," Dongwoo commented, sprawled over Howon's bed. "Plus, you haven't asked me to get off your bed at all."

"Get off my bed," Howon said absently. "You haven't showered, have you."

"Of course!" crowed Dongwoo. 

"I'm going to throw this textbook at you if you don't tell the truth, Dongwoo-hyung," Howon said very calmly.

"Alright, alright, I did shower," Dongwoo conceded. "So what's up with all the sighing? Which law is giving the genius lawyer-to-be a headache?"

"It's just..." Howon frowned. "Hyung, how do you define going out?"

"Huh?" Dongwoo looked confused. "Go...out? Go somewhere?"

"But there's another meaning too, right? Go out, like dating?" Howon asked.

"Mm, yeah," Dongwoo said. "But context is important too. Like if you were going out with a whole bunch of friends it wouldn't be a date."

"What if you get asked to go to the library?" Howon asked.

"Just the two of you?" Dongwoo questioned.

Howon nodded.

"Who asked you?" Dongwoo demanded.

"......."

"Howon-ah, context is important," Dongwoo reminded him.

"...Woohyun," Howon said very reluctantly.

"I knew it!" Dongwoo slapped his thigh gleefully. "I'd say that's a date!"

"But. At first he said going out, then he rephrased it to going to the library to study. And we really did study at the library. For four hours. He concentrated so hard on his books he didn't even talk to me! And after that, he said he had to rush off so we couldn't eat dinner together. So maybe he really meant that we're going to the library and he made a mistake the first time round?" Howon argued.

Dongwoo shook his head. "You may be a very intelligent law student, but your EQ is lacking. Or maybe your experience with relationships is lacking."

Howon looked offended, even though he privately admitted Dongwoo was probably right.

"It's far more likely that he intended to date you, but got scared of your reaction and changed it to sound like study time. Besides, he likes you," Dongwoo rebutted.

"What?" Howon looked utterly confused. "Since when?"

"For the longest time. You're the only one who gets special hazelnut lattes from him,” Dongwoo sulked. “Plus he makes you food without you even asking for it, and he never chases you out even when the cafe is packed. He even decorated that tumbler with artwork just for you!” Dongwoo pointed to Howon’s tumbler, sitting on his desk.

“That’s just...his penance. For being mean to me and getting my name wrong,” Howon said resolutely.

“Well, do you like him?” Dongwoo pressed.

“...” Howon fidgeted.

“Do you?”

“...” Howon fidgeted and bit his lip.

“Your silence implies a lot, you know,” Dongwoo said sagely.

“Maybe I would have been more than happy to go out with him…?” Howon said in a very small voice. “And maybe I was really sad when he said it was just to study together? And maybe I’m disappointed that all we’ve been doing outside the cafe is studying…”

Dongwoo smirked. “I win.” He pumped his fists. “Booya! I beat a law student!”

“It was biased,” Howon protested. “You had insider knowledge.”

“Anyway, what are you going to do now?” Dongwoo asked.

Howon slumped. "I don't know," he said in a small voice. "What should I do?"

"Tell him, obviously," Dongwoo said matter-of-factly. "You like him and he likes you."

"But what if he doesn't?" Howon said anxiously. "What if he really just wants to study together and doesn't want to date?"

"But you just said that his use of 'going out' is ambiguous, right?" Dongwoo said. "So just ask him about it and tell him you like him."

"But I can't...I can't say it to him like that." Howon wrung his hands together. "It's embarrassing. Plus if I look at him for too long I get tongue-tied..."

"You're a law student!" Dongwoo threw up his hands. "Write him a research paper or something, I give up."

 

* * *

A week later, Woohyun received an A4-sized envelope with a sheaf of pages inside from a grinning Dongwoo.

"What is it?" he asked.

Dongwoo shrugged, still smirking. "It's from your Howon."

Curious, and kind of hoping it was a love letter, Woohyun opened the envelope and slid the document out.

 

Memo  
Subject: On the meaning of going out  
By: Lee Howon

Disclaimer: this memo is only for the eyes of Nam Woohyun and is privileged and confidential information. If you are not Nam Woohyun, you should immediately stop reading this document and return it to Lee Howon. This memo is also not intended to be legally binding on anyone and should not be used as blackmail for any purpose whatsoever except and unless Nam Woohyun has a favorable response to the said memo in which case Nam Woohyun may then proceed to contact the aforesaid Lee Howon for the purposes stated in this legal memo.

Background:  
Nam Woohyun sent a series of text messages two weeks ago to Lee Howon, which are reproduced in full in Appendix 1 to this legal memo ("the text messages").

To summarise, Nam Woohyun sent a text message to Lee Howon asking him to **go out** with him (emphasis added). Thereafter, he then sent another text message purporting to clarify his message and inviting Lee Howon to study with him in the library.

It is the plain and ordinary meaning of the words "go out" as used by Nam Woohyun that forms the discussion of this legal memo. This legal memo will discuss the definition of go out, and thereafter attempt to interpret Nam Woohyun's express and implied meaning, in particular, whether Nam Woohyun meant that he wanted to date Lee Howon.

Discussion:  
According to the online Merriam-Webster dictionary, go out can mean, _inter alia_ , the following:

1\. To go forth, abroad, or outdoors: specifically : to leave one's house.

2\. To come to an end.

3\. To take part in social activities.

4\. To become a candidate

Meaning 1 is the accepted ordinary and plain meaning of the words that is commonly used. However, this does not shed any light on Nam Woohyun’s intention to leave his house and for Lee Howon to leave his own house and go somewhere together and why they would do such a thing. Therefore, it is irrelevant for the purposes of our discussion.

Meaning 2 has no place in our discussion except to say that it should never apply to the relationship between Lee Howon and Nam Woohyun, should such a relationship hypothetically arise in the event that Nam Woohyun did mean that he wanted to date Lee Howon ~~but was a coward~~ and backtracked.

Meaning 3, when read together with meaning 1, may suggest that Nam Woohyun intended for the both of them to go forth and take part in social activities together. However, the word social sheds no light on whether such activities were to be done with other people or just the two of them. In any case, the scope of this legal memo does not provide for a discussion on the definition of the word social.

Meaning 4 only applies in so far as that if Nam Woohyun were to put forth himself as a candidate for the position of Lee Howon's boyfriend, the said Lee Howon would be very happy to consider him.

After a perusal of the definitions contained in the merriam-webster online dictionary, it is evident that they are insufficient for the purposes of our discussion. Besides, it is highly unlikely that Nam Woohyun would even refer to the merriam-webster dictionary in his ordinary speech.

Hence, I decided to access another readily available online resource which, in my dealings with Nam Woohyun, I am of the opinion that he would use. The definitions of 'go out' as listed by Urban Dictionary are reproduced below, without any amendments:

A. to become romantically linked with someone and see them on a regular basis.

B. to leave you usual hiding place and emerge from under the stone. THis could be a trip to the local store for some milk, to go and retrive someone's guinea pig or a night out involving alcohol. If the person is normal, when they leave the house they will not want to see anyone they know. Being Insociable is good.

As far as I am aware, Nam Woohyun does not have a usual hiding place, nor does he live under a stone. Hence, meaning B is irrelevant.

However, meaning A sheds a lot of light on Nam Woohyun’s possible original intentions ~~before he wimped out~~.

Although I have not conducted an intensive independent peer-reviewed research survey of the college-age population and their commonly understood meaning of going out, I am inclined to believe that Nam Woohyun intended to ask Lee Howon to become romantically linked with him and for them to see each other on a regular basis. This regular basis, of course, would be very much subject to their own personal schedules, commitments, and Lee Howon's personal study timetable. Also, the words 'romantically linked' and their actual, precise definition would have to be discussed and agreed to by the two parties, and should deepen as the time span of their relationship increases.

But Nam Woohyun did not expressly say he wanted to date Lee Howon. If he did, there would be no need for this legal memo. He asked Lee Howon to go out with him and then said it was to study. Leaving aside the fact that many college couples go on study dates together, Nam Woohyun’s intentions towards Lee Howon are unclear, and have caused intense distress and confusion on the part of Lee Howon. While such distress and confusion cannot form the basis for a lawsuit against Nam Woohyun, they certainly do not help Lee Howon sort out his feelings towards Nam Woohyun.

Because if Nam Woohyun does want to date Lee Howon, a reasonable man who had seen the two interact together would be able to infer that Lee Howon would be very happy to date Nam Woohyun.

But there is no doubt that if Nam Woohyun made a slip of the tongue and does not want to date Lee Howon, then Lee Howon would rather write a 10,000 word research paper than confess his feelings to someone who does not return them.

Therefore, this legal memo has no real conclusion except to state that the proverbial ball is now in Nam Woohyun's court and Nam Woohyun should do something about it.

* * *

Woohyun blinked and rubbed his eyes, after finishing the entire paper.

"Wow, you actually finished that drivel," commented Dongwoo. "Don't you have a headache?"

"Why would I?" Woohyun looked up, grinning like a loon. "Howon wrote me a love letter."

"Didn't he write you a legal memo on the use of the words going out?" questioned Dongwoo. "How is that a love letter?"

"It just is." Woohyun ripped off the cover page and scribbled something on it. He folded it in half and put it in the envelope, stapling it shut. "Here, be a gem and deliver this to Howon for me please, hyung?"

Dongwoo took the envelope. "I want an iced Americano!"

"Sure, hyung, and I'll even make an iced hazelnut latte for you to give to my Howonnie!" Woohyun said happily.

When Howon finally opened the envelope later that night, he didn't know whether to laugh, cry, or feel touched.

Across the cover page, Woohyun had scribbled:

TL;DR

DATE ME ROMANTICALLY PLZ? 

I LOVE YOU

Howon smiled. He took out his handphone and texted a one word reply to Woohyun.

_Yes._


	10. Separation Anxiety

Although Howon and Woohyun were now officially going out, Howon's love letter came at a bad time, because exam season immediately began the day after Howon had said 'yes' to Woohyun. As such, though Howon had agreed to go out with Woohyun, they had yet to actually go out. 

They spent time together in Moonbucks, but it was to study. Howon occupied an entire table by himself with his stacks of books and papers, and Woohyun sat one table over, quietly reading his own textbook. Lunch or dinner was a hurried affair, a quick meal of sandwiches and coffee before returning to their studies. After Moonbucks closed late at night, they would both insist they could go back on their own, and say their awkward goodbyes before parting outside the cafe.

Nothing had changed since they got together, and yet everything had changed. 

_Woohyun: Heya Howon_

_Woohyun: want to take a break from studying today? ~.~_

_Howon: sorry Woohyun. I have to organise my notes for tomorrow's open book exam so I can't meet you today..._

_Woohyun: no problem! Another time ^^_

The exam season stretched over a month, because of exam schedules and deadlines, and before Howon realised it, he hadn't seen Woohyun in two weeks. 

They still kept in touch through text messages - or rather, Woohyun would message Howon some cute pictures he had seen, or an encouraging message before his exams. Howon would then reply with an awkward thank you, or he would fret over what to reply, and then it was too late to reply, because Woohyun would send him something else. 

"Hyung," Howon finally, reluctantly said to Dongwoo. "How do you date someone?" 

Dongwoo looked up from his own textbook, surprised. "Aren't you dating Woohyun?" 

Howon fidgeted. "Yes, but it's exam season, so we've both been busy studying..." 

"But surely you can take some time out from studying to meet him?" Dongwoo suggested.

"But I didn't..."

Dongwoo stared at Howon until Howon got uncomfortable and looked away. 

"He didn't protest when I told him I had to study," Howon defended himself. "And studying is important."

"Well, it is, but your relationship should be important too," Dongwoo said matter-of-factly. "You two are just starting out and getting to know each other. You're not really dating yet even, it's more like a fling? Woohyun could very easily decide that this isn't working out."

Howon bit his lip.

"Not that he would, obviously," Dongwoo quickly added, belatedly noticing that Howon looked anxious. "But I think, a very big part of dating requires both of you to spend time together. Not studying. Movies, eating, just chilling and talking...how else would you get to know him?" 

Howon nodded. "Ok." 

"Anyway, exams are almost over, aren't they?" Dongwoo went on. "You can always initiate a date after you finish your exams." He patted Howon's shoulder. 

"Okay, hyung."

* * *

A few days after his final exam for the year, Howon sat on his bed in his dorm room and stared at his handphone. 

Nothing from Woohyun. The last message from him had been on the day of his final exam, timed to coincide with the time his exam finished, congratulating him on completing his exams and urging him to rest. And then, silence. 

Was Dongwoo right? Did Woohyun think that their relationship wasn't working out? Their interactions so far had felt like something friends did, not...boyfriends. Lovers. Whatever they were supposed to be. 

Howon poked at his handphone. It remained stubbornly silent. 

"I should message him," he said aloud. "It's not like I can't." 

So he said, but for all his expertise at writing research papers, he still felt like a noob when it came to writing messages to Woohyun. 

Taking a deep breath, he picked up his phone and unlocked the screen. 

_Hi Woohyun,_

_Wanna hang out? I'm done with exams._

Howon frowned. That sounded like Woohyun wasn't as important as his exams. Which was kinda true, but he didn't need to shove it in his face. 

He deleted it and tried again. 

_Hiya Woohyun,_

_Are you free for dinner later?_

Dinner was easy, but the thought of having to keep up a conversation throughout made Howon shudder. Plus it wasn't like they hadn't eaten together before, so Woohyun might not consider it a date. Howon pressed the backspace key.

He growled in frustration. Why was this so difficult? It was just a stupid date. Why was he making everything so complicated? He typed quickly, without thinking, and pressed 'send'.

Then he rolled over on his bed and screamed into his pillow. 

_Hey Woohyun,_

_Wanna catch a movie? I hear inside out is good._

"I can't believe I invited him to watch a cartoon," he groaned, pummeling his pillow. "How old are you, Lee Howon? Ten?" 

Then he froze as he heard the tell - tale buzz of his phone that signalled he had a new message. 

Should he read it? Should he get Dongwoo-hyung to read it? No, what if it was a rejection, Dongwoo-hyung would be disgustingly sympathetic and fuss over him by patting him everywhere. Ew. 

He took a deep breath and sat up, staring at his phone and its blinking light. 

"Be strong, Lee Howon," he said to himself. "Fighting." He was very thankful Dongwoo was out and not here to witness his meltdown. 

Picking up the phone gingerly, he swiped to unlock his screen and covered the screen with his hand so he wouldn't see the pop up message just yet. 

Then he bit his lip and moved his hand away. 

The sender was Nam Woohyun, and the message said...

_Sure! I've been wanting to watch that movie too! ^o^ when are you free? How about tonight?_

Howon sagged in relief. He toppled onto his bed, typing out his reply. 

_Ok. ●_● I'm free too!_

Woohyun's reply came almost instantly, as if he had been waiting for Howon to reply. 

_It's a date, then =_=! I'll book the tickets and text you the details!_

A date. A grin spread across Howon's face.

* * *

The movie had gone well, much to Howon's relief. He'd dressed in his usual outfit of shirt and jeans, but put on his nicest leather jacket since it was getting colder. Woohyun was similarly attired, and smiled very happily when he saw Howon, though he greeted him like normal.

They watched the movie in mostly silence, but that was because it was a really good movie. Howon regretted not bringing tissues when he saw Woohyun sniff and discreetly wipe his eyes when Bing Bong slowly disappeared. He settled for grabbing Woohyun's hand and squeezing firmly, relieved when Woohyun squeezed back and glad the theatre was dark so no one could see his red ears and pink cheeks. 

"That was nice," Woohyun said as the credits rolled and they made their way out. 

"It was," Howon agreed. "I really liked how they resolved it. That you can be happy and yet sad at the same time." 

Woohyun smiled at him. "That's true. But right now I'm just happy."

"Oh," Howon said intelligently. "I...I guess I am, too."

"You sound a little fearful," Woohyun teased him. "I'm not going to eat you. I only eat law students for breakfast." 

"That's not the reason," Howon said. "Anyway, um, shall we get dinner?" 

"Of course," Woohyun said. "Let's not eat at Moonbucks or anywhere near it, though." He grinned sheepishly. 

They ended up at a small restaurant that sold stews and soups.

After they had ordered, Woohyun rested his chin on his folded hands and gazed at Howon.

"What are you looking at?" Howon asked him, confused. "Do I have something on my face?"

"Mhm," Woohyun replied. "Your face."

Confused, Howon touched his cheeks self-consciously, then turned red as Woohyun chuckled. 

"Sorry, I'm just staring at your face because I haven't seen you in a while," Woohyun explained. "How were your exams?"

"They were alright," Howon said, thankful he didn't have anything embarrassing stuck to his face but still feeling shy. "How were yours?"

"I think I did pretty well. It must be our study sessions." Woohyun grinned. "And your really cute love letter gave me strength."

Howon flushed scarlet and coughed, looking away. "That thing wasn't a love letter...it was...a research paper." He knew he had this coming, since Woohyun had obviously refrained from talking about it during the exam period, but it was still mortifying. 

"A research paper that concluded with Lee Howon hoping that Nam Woohyun did like him and Lee Howon's confession to Nam Woohyun," Woohyun said, looking mischievous. "I'd say that's a love letter." 

"Well, I wouldn't have to write one if a certain Nam Woohyun hadn't chickened out," Howon shot back, smirking as he saw Woohyun pale. "Seriously? How could you ask me to go out with you and backpedal so fast? You nearly gave me whiplash."

"I'm sorry," Woohyun said guiltily. "I confessed on the spur of the moment, and got scared after I did. I thought you would question it immediately, and I could gauge your reaction from there."

Howon softened a little. "Spur of the moment?" 

Woohyun nodded. "I just realised that I liked you. After four weeks of not seeing you..." He flushed. "I really missed you." 

Howon tried to control his flush and keep a straight face. "Dongwoo-hyung told me that Sunggyu-hyung asked him about me. Was that your doing too?"

Woohyun nodded again. "I was worried when you didn't show up for so long," he explained. "You weren't in the cafeteria, and you didn't come to Moonbucks, and I didn't know where your dorm room was. I was worried that you..." he trailed off. 

"That I?" Howon prompted, curious.

"That you had gotten annoyed by me, or the hearts I drew, or something," Woohyun said bashfully. "I know it sounds stupid, but yeah. And then when you came back exactly the same and treated me the same and even smiled at me..." He scratched his head sheepishly. "I realised."

"Oh." Howon pressed his hand to his neck, feeling oddly shy and awkward. "I'm sorry about disappearing suddenly. When I returned and saw you again I was happy, too. But I was disappointed that you drew a smiley face instead of a heart...hearts are your symbol, after all."

Woohyun rewarded him with a brilliant smile that spoke volumes. 

"So," Howon went on, connecting his thoughts. "If you missed me so much in that 4 weeks...how come you could go without seeing me for the past 2 weeks?" 

Woohyun looked surprised. "Well, you were having exams. So was I. I didn't want to push you in case you got annoyed and broke off our relationship before it even began."

"But exams ended a while ago," Howon said. "And you knew they ended, you messaged me on the same day."

"Yeah, but I didn't want to be too annoying," Woohyun said, grinning sheepishly. "I really missed you, though. I'm sorry I'm like this."

"No, don't be," Howon said. "I..." he trailed off, wondering if he should continue. Woohyun had been honest with him though, so he supposed he should return the favor. "I felt guilty about rejecting you all the time, too. I was worried you would get tired and think that I'm not worth it...so I invited you out for the movie today. I'm really glad you accepted."

"Of course you're worth it!" Woohyun squawked, then covered his mouth, realising he was too loud. "I mean," he continued softly. "I knew exams were over, but I was worried that you would be busy with other stuff and I would be disturbing you. I didn't want to irritate you by being too clingy. I was so happy when you invited me out for a movie today."

Howon bit his lip to keep from smiling widely, but failed. "Then I guess we thought the same way."

"Yes, we did," Woohyun agreed, eyes shining.

* * *

"I had fun today," Woohyun said as they walked back to the dorm. He insisted on walking Howon back, even though Howon protested. Something about making sure Dongwoo-hyung wasn't drunk and in a groping mood or that Myungsoo wasn't lurking around. 

"I did, too," Howon said. "We should meet up again." He blew on his hands. The weather was getting cold and windy and his leather jacket, though nice, didn't have any pockets for him to stuff his hands in.

"For a date? Yes, definitely," Woohyun said. Noticing Howon's small action, he grabbed his hand, holding it in his own as they walked. 

"Now that exams are over, though, I'll have more shifts at my part - time job at the bookstore," Howon said. "And I'm sure you'll be working at Moonbucks too."

"Yep," Woohyun said. "But we'll make time for each other, right?"

Howon nodded. "Yes." 

They reached the lobby of Howon's dorm building. Woohyun turned to Howon, looking a little sad. "Well, have a good rest."

Howon nodded. "You too." He squeezed Woohyun's hand, and felt Woohyun squeeze back, rubbing his fingers over the back of Howon's hand. 

"See you soon," Woohyun said. "I'll message you."

Howon nodded. "I'll reply," he said, and felt embarrassed when Woohyun chuckled. 

"You're really cute," Woohyun said. "Bye!" He reluctantly let go of Howon's hand. 

Howon waved. "Bye." As he watched Woohyun leave, he felt that anxious, heavy feeling in his stomach lift and leave him.


	11. Mr Chu

Two weeks of surreptitious, secretive dating passed by in a flash. Howon swore Dongwoo to complete secrecy and threatened to release all his drunk photos and videos to his mother if he spilled the beans. They stayed away from Moonbucks Cafe and places near their university. 

They had simple, fuss-free dates. Movies, walks in a park, meals together. They experienced the initial euphoria of having someone and the anxiety that goes with not knowing each other too well and the wonder of finding more to love about each other. 

Neither particularly wanted to announce their relationship to their friends. Howon was too shy; Woohyun didn't particularly want the teasing he knew would follow. But at the same time, they knew it would be easier if their friends knew; they could hang out at Moonbucks, could be a little more affectionate in public, could tell other people not to flirt with them because they were in a relationship. 

Before they could decide on a course of action, the decision was taken out of their hands. 

"Hyung, let's get drinks before we go for our shift at the bookstore," Sungjong said to Howon. They'd met for lunch before their work started and happened to be walking along the street that Moonbucks was located on. 

"Okay," Howon said. 

"Hey, this cafe looks interesting," Sungjong said. "Moonbucks Cafe? Let's go in." He tugged Howon in, who desperately prayed that Woohyun wasn't there.

"Welcome to Moonbucks, home of great tasting coffee! May I take your order?" Woohyun sang.

Just his luck, Howon groused, as he saw Woohyun look at him and yelp in surprise. "Howonnie!"

Sungjong looked at Howon, surprised. "Hyung! You come here often?"

"Somewhat," Howon said lamely. "This is Nam Woohyun. I know him from school."

"Oh!" Sungjong peered at the menu. "Well, what's good here?"

"Everything," Woohyun said confidently. "Especially the hazelnut lattes. I make them almost every day." 

"Hmmm. I want a blueberry milkshake," Sungjong said thoughtfully. "What about you, hyung?"

"Um, I'll have a hot hazelnut latte," Howon said carefully. 

"Oh! Howon!" Sungyeol came out of the kitchen. "Haven't seen you around lately. Has Woohyun been delivering hazelnut lattes to you personally?" 

Woohyun looked horrified. "What?!"

"But he's been leaving after his shifts with a hazelnut latte to go," said Sungyeol. "Is it for you?" 

Sungjong looked at Howon in surprise. "Oh!" He peered at the to-go cups displayed on the counter. "Now that I think of it, hyung, isn't this the cup you drink from during work?" 

"It's..." Howon stammered, looking a little flustered. "Um, yeah, it is. Sometimes I stop by and buy it, sometimes I don't have time, so I ask Woohyun to bring me one..." 

"Wow, you're really addicted to our drink," commented Sungyeol, eyes gleaming. "Do you have a caffeine addiction? Or is it some other kind of addiction you have?" 

"Yah, stop it, Sungyeol," Woohyun said crossly. "Are you trying to chase our paying customer away?" 

Sungyeol snickered, but let it go. "Can I make the drinks, then?" he asked. "It doesn't matter who makes them, right? Since he's just a customer."

Woohyun bit his lip. 

"Sure!" Howon said hurriedly. "I mean, I don't mind."

"Don't worry, Howon, I'll remember the extra syrup for yours." Sungyeol winked and got to work. 

Sungjong turned to him. "You get extra syrup?"

"Yeah." Howon rubbed his neck self-consciously. "They know I like my drinks sweeter so they add it in for me."

"This is a pretty nice place," commented Sungjong. "That's good service."

"Yeah, it is," Howon said weakly. He was finding it difficult to focus, what with Sungyeol's teasing and Sungjong's probing curiosity and Woohyun being a helpless dork. He just wanted his drink and wanted out of there immediately. 

"He might take some time since he doesn't usually do this." Woohyun grinned at them. "I apologize in advance for the delay."

"I heard that, you greasy tree!" Sungyeol called out. "Don't make me tell Howon how you were flirting with those pretty girl customers the other day!"

Woohyun rolled his eyes. "That was called service with a smile," he shot back. "And besides, you were so desperate for their phone numbers. What happened to pretty boy photographer, huh?" 

"He said he has unrequited love for someone who refuses to be his model and he can't accept me right now," Sungyeol sighed dramatically as he put the finishing touches to their drinks and put them in plastic bags. 

"Oh, that sounds familiar," Woohyun said thoughtfully. "Wait. Your pretty boy photographer is Myungsoo, right?" 

"Uh-huh," Sungyeol said as he came out from behind the counter, walking to where Woohyun, Sungjong and Howon were standing. 

"Oh! Then Myungsoo has unrequited love for...Howon?!" Woohyun yelped. 

Startled by the yelp and by the information, Sungyeol took an unsteady step and slipped on a patch of slippery tile that Woohyun hadn't mopped properly. The drinks crashed to the floor, splattering everywhere as he flailed his arms, trying to regain his balance, but to no avail. He skidded right across the floor, crashing into Woohyun, who was pushed forward by the momentum into Howon's arms. 

And because they happened to be the exact same height, Woohyun's lips collided precisely with Howon's. 

Sungjong gasped in surprise. Sungyeol flailed on the ground, clothes wet with blueberry milkshake and hot hazelnut latte. And Dongwoo, Sunggyu and Myungsoo chose that exact moment to enter the cafe, stopping short as they saw the scene in front of them. 

Woohyun pulled away from Howon, pouting. "That was wrong!" he complained. 

Howon raised an eyebrow. "You mean the kiss was wrong?" 

"No, I mean..." Woohyun raked a hand through his hair, frustrated. "That wasn't how I planned our first kiss at all!" He looked grumpy and disappointed. "I was going to take you out somewhere nice and then...kind of initiate it? Or maybe in the moment, it would just happen."

Howon looked amused. "You don't have to do anything special, you know," he said gently. 

"But you're always going on about how precious your lips are and now..." Woohyun looked upset. "Now our first kiss is ruined."

"Well, it's just a first kiss," Howon said placidly. "We can always try again." He leaned in, placing a soft kiss on Woohyun's lips. "Like that. Better?"

Woohyun hummed, the upset look in his eyes fading a little. "Mm. Better. Can I have more?"

Their little moment was interrupted when Myungsoo wailed. "Howon-hyung! You're kissing him?!"

Howon and Woohyun blinked, suddenly realizing everyone in the cafe was staring at them. 

"You're dating?" Sungyeol said from his puddle of milkshake and latte on the floor, completely stupefied. "But you didn't say anything!"

"Yeah, you didn't tell me anything," Sungjong said,sounding deceptively sweet. 

"Why him?!" Myungsoo wailed. "How many pictures has he taken of you?" 

Sunggyu rolled his eyes. "Woohyun, let go of Howon and help clean up the floor."

"What about me?" Sungyeol wailed. 

"Clean yourself up yourself," Sunggyu said unmercifully. 

Woohyun reluctantly let go of Howon and grabbed cloths to mop up the spill around Sungyeol. Howon self-consciously touched his ears, knowing they were red. 

"Are both of you really dating?" Sungjong asked. 

"Um, yeah," Howon said in a small voice. "For the last 2 weeks or so." 

"Why didn't you say anything?" Sunggyu said curiously. "You've been in Moonbucks Cafe many times but neither of you behaved like a couple."

Howon cringed. "Um, because..." 

Woohyun stood up from where he was. "It's me, I didn't want to say anything yet because I knew you guys would tease us," he said stoutly. "So I told Howon we should keep our relationship quiet for now."

"It's my fault too," Howon said. "I'm...well, I'm shy about this and yeah, the teasing too..." he trailed off, turning even redder. 

"Yah, I'm not scolding either of you," Sunggyu said exasperatedly, rolling his eyes. "Seriously. It's perfectly fine if you don't want to tell us."

"No, it isn't," Sungjong said suddenly. "Howon-hyung, you need people to help you evaluate your relationship choices. When you're in a relationship, you may be blinded by love and won't be able to see his faults and may end up making very bad decisions." He glared at Woohyun. "You should have told me earlier. And introduced us."

"Uh, this is Lee Sungjong, my co-worker at the bookstore and also my junior in the law faculty," Howon said weakly. "He's also on the debate team that clinched the world championships last year." 

Woohyun blanched, but recovered himself. "Hi," he said. "I'm Lee Howon's boyfriend, Nam Woohyun."

"But Howon-hyung!" Myungsoo whined, practically flinging himself into Howon's arms. "How could you?!"

"How could I what?" Howon said, trying to gently remove Myungsoo's arms from their grip around his body. 

"Date him!" Myungsoo cried. "You rejected me for him?"

Howon blinked. "You never said you wanted to date me," he said. "You just said you wanted me to model for you." 

"But!" Myungsoo spluttered. "In romantic manga, that's how the guy asks the girl out!"

Howon blinked. "Well, we're not in a romantic manga, this is real life. And besides, I don't like you like that, I'm sorry."

"But you like Woohyun-hyung that way," Myungsoo moaned, slumping limply against Howon. "This is so unfair." 

"Well, there's always Sungyeol who could model for you," Howon suggested, patting his shoulder. 

Unable to take it, Woohyun dragged Myungsoo away from Howon and pushed him into Sungyeol's arms. "Yah, go comfort your pretty boy photographer," he said crossly. 

Dongwoo grinned. "Doesn't it feel better now that your relationship is in the open?" he said. "Now you can be lovey-dovey in public." He made kissing noises. 

Howon went scarlet. "That was just...it was just...the heat of the moment!" 

"Really?" Dongwoo grinned. "We'll have to create more moments for you, then."

Howon glared at him. 

Sungjong coughed. "As much as I would like to stay and interrogate Howon-hyung's boyfriend, we have a shift to get to." 

"Ah!" Woohyun said. "The drinks!" 

Sungjong tossed his head. "Make them and deliver them to us. We have to leave now, or we'll be late."

"Wait!" Woohyun said, grabbing Howon's hand. "Dinner tonight?"

Howon rolled his eyes, clearly embarrassed that Woohyun was doing this in public where everyone could see. "You have my number, just message me." He squeezed and let go of his hand. "Bye!" 

Woohyun watched him leave forlornly. 

"I can't believe you like Howon," Sungyeol said to the pathetic, limp pile of limbs in his arms. 

"He's really handsome," Myungsoo said. "You wouldn't understand."

"Well, I'm handsome too," Sungyeol said confidently. "I have better skin, and I'm taller. I'm sure I could model for you." 

Myungsoo raised his head and looked at Sungyeol critically. 

Then he dropped his head onto his shoulder. "Not what I'm looking for right now."

"Are you talking about modelling or dating now?" Sungyeol said confusedly. 

Sunggyu strode over and pulled Myungsoo away. "Sungyeol, get back to work. Woohyun, stop freaking pining and get to work too. You're going to see him in just a few hours."

"But hyung," Woohyun whined. "It was so difficult to keep my hands off him the last 2 weeks in the cafe!"

"And now you can do whatever you want," said Sunggyu. "Keep it PG though, or I'll throw both of you out."

"Of course, hyung," Woohyun said happily. "Can I make the drinks and deliver them?"

Sunggyu frowned.

"You've been wanting to start a delivery service, anyway!" Woohyun said. "I can go over with some leaflets and a poster and get them to put it up!" 

Sunggyu sighed. "Fine, whatever." He grumbled. "Ugh, you two better not squabble in the cafe next time!" 

“Hyung, it could be worse,” Sungyeol said solemnly. “They could make out in the cafe.” 

“That’s true. Ew.”


	12. Cuddling, take two

Woohyun shivered as he quickly unlocked the cafe doors and slipped inside. Winter had arrived with a vengeance. He turned on the heater full blast, waiting for the cafe to warm up before starting to unwrap the layers of scarves and clothes he had cocooned himself in. 

"It's cold," Sunggyu said unnecessarily when he came down a little later, yawning. "Woohyun, turn up the heater. Also, can you make a pot of hot soup?" 

Moonbucks Cafe's speciality during the cold winter months was hot drinks and hot soup at reasonable prices, and cold drinks and cakes at a winter discount. This enabled them to do a brisk business. Also, the cuddle corner was in hot demand after a regular customer thoughtfully donated a hand warmer. 

Woohyun hummed happily. This job was much better than some others he'd had in the past, at least he had warm food and the heater running full blast. Plus he got to see the delight on the faces of customers when they entered and realised they could enjoy their drinks and food without having to be wrapped up like an Eskimo. 

Except for one person, that is. 

"Howon-ah, are you sure you don't want to remove your down jacket?" Woohyun asked Howon for what felt like the 100th time. Howon had entered the cafe an hour before closing time, sat down at a table, and refused to remove any of the layers of clothes he was wearing. 

And considering he was wrapped tightly in a puffy black down jacket from head to toe, with only his eyes showing, and also considering that Moonbucks Cafe was so warm that most of his customers had removed their jackets and sweaters, this worried Woohyun immensely. 

"I'm very sure," Howon said firmly. "It's cold."

"But we have the heater going full blast," Woohyun protested. "Are you sick? Do you need me to take you to the doctor?"

"I'm not sick," Howon said. "I'm just cold. I don't like being cold." 

"Well, alright," Woohyun said reluctantly. "Here, have some hot soup." 

He surreptitiously watched Howon while working the rest of his shift, and Howon really didn't budge about removing his jacket, huddled into a ball and poking at his phone carefully with one finger so that the rest of his fingers were hidden inside the sleeves of his puffy jacket. 

He begged Sunggyu to release him early, and Sunggyu finally agreed 30 mins before his shift ended, grumbling that Howon was bad for business. 

"He looks so cold, people are going to think there's something wrong with our heating," Sunggyu said crossly. "Drag him to a doctor or something." 

"Thanks, hyung," Woohyun said happily as he removed his apron and quickly slipped into the back to change out of his work polo and grab his bag. 

"Howonnie, we can go," Woohyun said cheerfully. 

Howon looked up. "Don't you have another half an hour of work?" 

"Sunggyu-hyung let me go early," he said. "Let's go." 

Howon fished out another scarf, wrapping it around his neck before he got up slowly, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Okay," he mumbled. 

Woohyun was torn between teasing him and fussing over him. "Where do you want to go for dinner?" he asked as they made their way out. 

"Somewhere warm," Howon said. 

"Do you want to go back to your dorm?" Woohyun suggested. "There's heating, and we can get takeout." 

Howon shook his head vehemently. "The heating's spoilt." He shivered. 

"Spoilt!" Woohyun repeated. "Is that why you're wrapped up like this?"

Howon nodded. "It was so cold last night without heating." He sniffed. "I hate the cold."

"You should have called me," Woohyun said. "You could've bunked in with me for the night."

Howon shrugged. "It was late and I didn't want to bother you. Dongwoo-hyung had gone home, so I grabbed all of his blankets for myself." He shivered. "It was still cold, though. And then the bookstore owner refused to turn on the heating." 

"Poor Howonnie," Woohyun patted his shoulder. "Well then, let's get takeout and go back to my dorm." 

"Ok."

* * *

Woohyun called for food delivery while they walked back, and it reached at the same time that they did. 

"It's a little messy, heh," Woohyun said sheepishly. "My roommate's a fashion major and he hasn't cleared his stuff from his final project yet." 

"It's not that messy," said Howon. "At least it's not dirty." He sat on Woohyun's bed. 

Woohyun turned on the heater and turned the heat up. He cleared a space on his table for their takeout food. "Do you want to take off your jacket?" he asked tentatively. "I've turned on the heater, it should get warmer soon." 

Howon reluctantly nodded, slipping out of his puffy jacket. He was wearing a thick sweater underneath and probably a few other layers as well. Woohyun helped him hang it up as he blew on his fingers and rubbed them together. 

"Poor Howonnie, so cold," Woohyun cupped his hands in his own, rubbing warmth into them. "How are you going to survive the winter? How have you survived this far?"

Howon rolled his eyes. "I'm not even sick, I'm just cold. I live in my down jacket, of course." 

"Well, I'd be more than happy to warm you up whenever you feel cold," Woohyun declared.

Howon turned pink. "Uh. OK. Thanks. Let's eat." 

Woohyun belatedly realized that what he said could be taken suggestively and chuckled at Howon's shyness. "Sure. Let's eat." 

The hot soup caused Howon's spectacles to fog, but he ate happily and started to look a little better with color in his cheeks. 

"Were you still cold in Moonbucks?" Woohyun asked him. 

Howon nodded. "I was still cold," he said. "The heating wasn't warm enough, and there were drafts of wind whenever someone came in or left. So I didn't want to take off my jacket."

"I'm glad you feel warm enough now," said Woohyun. He'd shed his own jacket and sweater and was comfortable in just a shirt and jeans. "Where are you from?"

"I'm from Busan," Howon answered. "Our winters aren't as cold as here. So when I first came here for studies, I struggled to adjust." 

"Ahhh!" Woohyun said. "That explains it. Are your parents still in Busan?"

Howon nodded. "What about you? You live here?"

"Yep, my parents run a barbecue restaurant in Seoul," Woohyun replied. "We should go by sometime, they'll love to see you." 

"But" Howon hesitated. "They know? I mean, they know that you're...gay?" 

Woohyun nodded. "I told them a few years back," he said. "They took it decently well, although they then started bugging me about bringing my boyfriend home." He looked shy. "I didn't meet anyone I wanted to bring home till now, though."

Howon looked down. "Oh," he said bashfully. "Um, maybe a little more time..." 

"Of course," Woohyun chirped. "Do you still want food? I can make instant noodles if you're still hungry." 

Howon shook his head, yawning. He covered his mouth sheepishly. 

"Tired?" Woohyun reached up and swept Howon's fringe to the side. "It's 10 pm."

Howon nodded. "I didn't sleep well last night because I was too cold..."

"Do you want to stay here tonight?" Woohyun asked. "My roommate is away on holiday, so he isn't coming back today. You can bunk in with me."

Howon froze. "But. I don't want to be an inconvenience." He fidgeted.

"You're never an inconvenience," Woohyun reassured him. "I can lend you sleeping clothes too so you don't have to go back to your dorm." 

"Okay," Howon finally said. 

"Great!" Woohyun rummaged in his drawers, pulling out a fresh set of clothes for Howon. "My warmest sleep clothes." 

Howon took the clothes and disappeared into the bathroom. While waiting, Woohyun fussed about, tidying up the room. Kibum's bed was unmade and Woohyun knew he hadn't washed his bedsheets in months, so his bed was out of the question. But then, that would mean... 

By the time Howon emerged from the bathroom, Woohyun had swept the floor and was arranging an extra set of bedding on the floor.

"Why are you placing bedsheets on the floor?" Howon asked curiously.

"Kibum's bed is too dirty, so I figured I can sleep on the floor and you'll take the bed," Woohyun said. 

Howon frowned. "But then you'll be cold. We can share the bed."

"Eh?" Woohyun looked stunned. 

"We can share the bed," Howon repeated, ears reddening. "Besides, if it's cold, we can..." 

Woohyun was reminded of the cuddle corner and Dongwoo's cuddle attack on Howon. "But I thought you didn't like cuddling. You pushed Dongwoo-hyung away."

"You're not Dongwoo-hyung." Howon shrugged, fiddling with the hem of his long-sleeved shirt. The sweatpants were a little long for him, just like how they were on Woohyun, and they covered his feet except his toes, which peeked out. 

Woohyun brightened. "Awwww. I didn't know you trusted me that much!"

"Grope me and I'll elbow you," Howon said dryly. "I'm tired." He yawned. 

"Next time?" Woohyun asked hopefully, guiding Howon to slip underneath the blanket and sliding in himself. 

"Yeah, sure," Howon murmured as he cuddled down against Woohyun, his eyes slipping shut almost immediately. "You're warm," were his last words before he fell fast asleep. 

Woohyun had never been so thankful that he had a relatively high body temperature till now. He looked at Howon curled up against him and squealed inwardly at how cute he looked, snuggled closely to leech as much body warmth from him as possible. 

He lay down properly and Howon rolled nearer to him, his head tucked into his shoulder and neck. He wrapped his arms around Howon. Woohyun didn't mind that they were the same size, even though it meant that he couldn't cuddle Howon the same way as if Howon was smaller than him. Howon felt solid and real in his arms, all of his usual strength and independence tossed aside in favor of finding warmth in Woohyun's arms. 

Besides, he looked so adorable like this. Usually he looked serious and studious, if not awkward and shy, his brows furrowed together and his jaw set tightly. But his face had relaxed in his sleep, his lips slightly parted and he looked peaceful and content. Like a baby. Howon, a baby. Hobaby. He'd have to try that nickname out on him tomorrow. Woohyun snickered quietly, imagining the judgmental look Howon would give him. 

Woohyun pressed a kiss to Howon's forehead. "Sleep well," he whispered. He'd spend a few more minutes - maybe hours - watching Howon sleep before he reluctantly allowed himself to fall asleep.


	13. Blow wind blow

Howon watched the clock in the bookstore tick...tick...tick...tick its way to the end of his shift, at 6pm. 

"Hyung, are you pining for your boyfriend?" Sungjong teased him. 

Howon turned a deep shade of red. "I'm pining for the end of my shift," he retorted heatedly. 

Sungjong said nothing, but shot him a meaningful look that made Howon want to curl up in a corner and whimper.

After the initial commotion of finding out Woohyun and Howon had been secretly dating, their friends had settled down to the news and had all but gone back to their normal interactions. Except for the teasing. 

"Anyway, what's wrong with wanting to see my boyfriend?" Howon demanded. "He's my boyfriend for a reason. And you already met him and interrogated him."

Sungjong raised an eyebrow. "He told you?" 

"Yeah, he said you went into the cafe and asked him questions for an hour. He said it was like a very intense meet-the-parents session." Howon shook his head. 

"I was merely getting to know my treasured senior's boyfriend a little better," Sungjong said primly. "As I told you, people in love are blind. You need a third party to help you cut through the flowery promises and sweet smiles. Plus he's your first boyfriend, isn't he?" 

"..." Howon didn't even want to try defending himself, knowing Sungjong would rip him to shreds.

"Well, you're not his first boyfriend," Sungjong said. 

"So?" Howon asked, and he meant it. "We're not in some romantic manga of Myungsoo's where we have to be each other's firsts. Just as long as he loves me now."

Sungjong shrugged. "Just saying, hyung. Anyway, he seems like a good guy, if a little too eager to please." 

"Please?" Howon echoed. "What do you mean?"

"He's always trying to make the people around him happy," said Sungjong. "Sometimes even at his own expense. Didn't you notice?" 

Howon pondered on Sungjong's words as he walked to the cafe, wrapped up warmly in his winter clothes and with a hot pack tucked into each pocket and stuck on his shirt over his chest to keep him warm. 

Woohyun had indeed done many things for him, but he figured that was Woohyun's way of showing love and care. He did diligently serve the customers, but that was part of his job. Howon supposed he would need more time to observe if what Sungjong said was true. 

He arrived at the cafe, but the sign was turned to close, and the lights inside were dim. The place looked flooded. Worried, he pushed at the door, and when he found it unlocked, stepped in. 

"Hello?" he called out. "Woohyun? Sunggyu-hyung?"

Sunggyu appeared, looking frazzled. "Oh, Howon," he said. 

"Hyung, what happened?" Howon asked, worried. 

Sunggyu sighed. "I tried baking desserts again, but then the accountant came and I forgot about the desserts in the oven. Woohyun went into the kitchen to check why there was a burnt smell and the oven was on fire." He rubbed his neck, looking frustrated and sheepish. 

"Is he alright?" Howon asked worriedly. 

"He's alright. The sprinklers came on and doused the fire, but then we couldn't figure out how to stop them and it caused a mini flood in the shop, as you can see." Sunggyu sighed heavily. "So now I need to figure out what happened to the sprinklers, clean up the mess, and replace my oven. We'll probably have to close for a few weeks." 

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Howon said politely, fidgeting. "Um."

Sunggyu eyed him. "You want to know where Woohyun is, right?"

Howon nodded anxiously.

Sunggyu sighed. "And here I thought you would offer to help clean up. He's in my apartment upstairs, showering and getting cleaned up. The sprinkler water was cold and dirty." He grumbled. "I'm going to complain to the maintenance company, how dare they cheat me like this."

"Ok hyung, if you don't mind, I'll go find Woohyun and make sure he's okay. See you later!" Howon said, quickly bowing and making a beeline for the staircase. Sometimes Sunggyu-hyung could be so...verbose. Woohyun often complained about his nagging. 

Howon knocked on the front door before pushing it open tentatively. "Woohyun?" he called out. 

"Howon?" Woohyun appeared before him,a towel wrapped dangerously low and loose around his hips and another over his hair. He was dripping wet. 

"Yah, you - you didn't even lock the door!" Howon spluttered, completely taken aback by the sight of a half-naked Woohyun. All that smooth skin and slightly defined abs did strange things to Howon's heartbeat. "What if someone just walked in?"

Woohyun looked amused. "Like you?" He grinned. "The entrance is through the cafe, and I know Sunggyu-hyung is in the cafe right now."

"Still," Howon said, keeping his eyes fixed on Woohyun's toes. "It's dangerous." 

He swallowed as he saw Woohyun's toes come nearer and nearer him and then when he looked up he was face to face with Woohyun, barely a breath apart. 

"Are you worried about my virtue?" Woohyun practically purred. 

Howon put out his arms and pushed him away. "I'm worried about your health!" he said. "It's the middle of winter and you're half naked and dripping wet! Put on some clothes!"

Woohyun laughed. "Is that why your face is so red?" he called out as he strolled back into Sunggyu's bedroom. "Because you're worried?" 

Howon chose not to reply him and followed him into the bedroom. "How come you know your way around?" he asked curiously. Thankfully, Woohyun had pulled on a pair of sweatpants.

Woohyun shrugged, pulling on a t shirt. "I've worked here for a while. Sometimes I crash over at Sunggyu-hyung's place if it's too cold to go home." 

"Oh," Howon said. 

Woohyun rubbed his hair vigorously with the towel. "Ugh, it's so cold." He shivered. "Of all times hyung had to forget his desserts and they just had to burn and it would be just my luck that I get drenched." 

"Yah, you can't just towel dry your hair." Howon looked around and found a hairdryer resting on Sunggyu's bedside table. "Sit down." 

"Are you going to blow dry my hair for me?" Woohyun sparkled, trying to fling his arms around Howon.

He was met with a blast of hot air from the hair dryer, and collapsed on the bed, whimpering. 

"Sit properly," Howon said unmercifully. "Or I'll go home." 

Woohyun quickly sat properly on the bed, his back to Howon. "I'm all yours!"

Howon was glad Woohyun couldn't see the intense flush suffusing his cheeks. He turned on the hair dryer and began blow drying Woohyun's wet hair. 

Woohyun hummed happily, leaning into Howon's touch whenever he ruffled the wet strands of hair. "You feel so nice and warm," he said contentedly. He shifted back so he was half resting against Howon. 

Howon pushed him forward a little. "Yah, I can't dry your hair like this if you're leaning on me."

"But I'm tired and cold," Woohyun whined. 

Howon said nothing and continued to dry the hair at the back of his head. 

Then, once it was dry, he pulled Woohyun back to lean on him again, without saying a word. 

Woohyun made himself comfortable, wriggling happily. "My Howonnie is the best." 

Howon silently continued to dry the rest of his hair, meticulously fanning out the strands to make sure all of it got dried properly. 

"I've never had my hair blow dried by anyone else before, except at the hair salon," Woohyun gushed. "I feel so loved." 

Howon grunted. 

Woohyun twisted to look at him. "Are you mad at me?" he asked. 

Howon did a last sweep of his head and then turned off the hair dryer. "Not mad," he said, fiddling with the dryer. "Just...I was worried when I heard the news. And then you're...soaking wet in winter, and still more concerned about skinship with me than getting dry and warm." He couldn't meet Woohyun's eyes. "You should always take care of yourself first."

Woohyun smiled and turned so they were facing each other. "But five seconds for a quick kiss won't cause me to fall sick," he teased. 

Howon glared at him. "You shouldn't even have come out half naked!"

"You're so cute," Woohyun declared. "Well, I'm dry, so I guess I can claim my skinship now." Instead of hugging him or kissing him, Woohyun started tickling Howon, causing the latter to squirm and try to shrink away. 

"Yah! Woohyun!" Whatever protest Howon had wanted to make was lost in a rush of uncontrollable giggles as Howon squirmed and tried to get away from Woohyun's merciless fingers. 

"Hee hee, didn't know you were so ticklish," Woohyun grinned, not letting up until Howon stopped struggling to get away and just weakly batted at his fingers, laughter bubbling throughout the room. 

"Yah, I can't breathe," Howon gasped, his body shaking with silent laughter. "Stop!"

Woohyun stopped and Howon sagged back onto the bed, panting heavily. "My stomach hurts from laughing," he complained. 

Woohyun leaned over him, smiling tenderly. "But you feel better, don't you?"

Howon belatedly realised that he was sprawled on the bed and Woohyun was straddling him, looking very satisfied with himself. Even then, he didn't have enough strength to roll out from underneath Woohyun. The hair dryer lay near his hand, in contact with his fingers.

"If I have enough energy to tickle you, I can't be sick," Woohyun grinned. Howon's breath caught in his throat as he stared up at Woohyun.

Woohyun looked cheeky, but there was a different light in his eyes. A light that Howon had first seen when he kissed Woohyun after their first unexpected clumsy kiss. A light that Howon had seen again whenever they shared soft, gentle kisses after their dates before they returned to their own dorm rooms. A light that made Howon feel funny inside and his stomach turn cartwheels. He wondered what he looked like to Woohyun. 

"You're looking at me like I'm going to kiss you," Woohyun said, his voice lower than usual. It sent chills down Howon's spine. "May I?" 

Howon swallowed. 

Woohyun waited. 

Howon finally opened his mouth. "L-Legally, silence doesn't mean consent, but here I think..." he trailed off, Woohyun's intense gaze leaving him breathless. "Um, my silence means consent..."

Woohyun gazed at him for a long moment and Howon gazed back at him, heart in his throat. 

Then Woohyun unexpectedly started laughing, but it wasn't mocking laughter. Not with the way he gazed at Howon fondly. 

"You are such a cute nerd," Woohyun said affectionately. He leaned down and Howon closed his eyes, his hand reflexively clutching the hair dryer tightly as they kissed. Woohyun cupped his face with one hand, his other hand clasping Howon's. 

They kissed like they couldn't get enough of each other. Woohyun kissed him gently, tenderly, but Howon wasn't satisfied. He wanted to erase the fear he had felt when he heard Woohyun had been in an accident. He pressed his lips firmly to Woohyun's, shivering in delight as he felt Woohyun respond, deepening the kiss. 

Woohyun's hand left Howon's and teased the hem of his shirt, slipping underneath to trace lightly over bare skin. Howon quivered and gripped the hair dryer tighter, feeling like he was drowning and the hair dryer was his only anchor. He reached up with his free hand, wanting to touch Woohyun too...

"Ahem." A unamused voice startled both of them. Woohyun broke the kiss with Howon and rolled off him, just in time to avoid being brained by Howon's hair dryer as Howon reflexively pushed his hands out in front of him to push Woohyun away. 

"Sex and attempted assault with my hair dryer, all in my bed," Sunggyu said dryly, leaning against the doorway. "I lend you my apartment to shower and change and you repay me like this. By trying to defile my bedsheets with semen and blood."

Howon turned red, dropping his hair dryer. 

"Hyung, we wouldn't have gone that far," Woohyun said. 

Sunggyu eyed him. 

"Well, probably," Woohyun amended. "Howon's just too irresistible."

Sunggyu snorted. "You're a human being, not a cat in heat."

Howon got off the bed. "Sunggyu-hyung, how's the condition of the shop?" he asked, looking worried. 

"We'll probably have to close for a few days so I can get it cleaned professionally and see how much damage there is. The sprinklers need to be repaired, too." Sunggyu sighed. 

"Oh, that's terrible," Howon said. He stood up, inching towards the door. "You should consider suing the maintenance people. Or at least lodge a complaint."

"I should," Sunggyu said meditatively. "Do you think you could do it for me?" 

Howon saw with relief that Sunggyu had moved away from the doorway, and signalled Woohyun with his eyes. 

"Sorry, hyung, but I can't write legal letters until I'm a lawyer," Howon said sadly. "So hyung, we'll be going now. Woohyun's not feeling well so I'll take him to see a doctor. Bye!" Howon bolted, Woohyun right behind him. 

"You idiots!" Sunggyu roared. "I will remember this!" 

Woohyun and Howon ran down the staircase and made their escape from the back door of the cafe, not stopping until they had turned the corner and were out of sight. 

They stopped running, panting heavily, their breath like little puffs of cloud. 

"Howon-ah, that was epic," Woohyun said admiringly. "You fooled Sunggyu-hyung by changing the topic so we could escape. So smart!"

Howon bent over, hands on his knees as he gasped for air. "Sunggyu-hyung nags worse than my professors," he complained. "And I wanted to be out of there before midnight."

"Are you really taking me to the doctor?" Woohyun asked as they continued walking. "Because any increased body temperature I have is probably because of you and not because of the cold." 

"No, not the doctor," Howon said. He'd learned to look impassive in the face of Woohyun's greasy one-liners, although they sometimes made his heart race. "But I thought that we should go get something hot and warm, like ginseng chicken soup."

"Sounds like a date!" Woohyun kissed Howon on the cheek.


	14. The art of makeup and making up

Woohyun hummed as he brewed coffee for a customer. After a week, the cafe had reopened and Sunggyu had promptly guilt-tripped Woohyun into redesigning the cafe menu and adding new food items to their menu. This also meant that Woohyun didn't have much time to meet up with Howon, but Howon didn't seem to mind. He was occupied too, although Woohyun had no idea what Howon was busy with.

Maybe Howon was preparing a nice surprise for Woohyun. Woohyun grinned as he thought of what possible surprises Howon could come up with. The best kind of surprise would have Howon and him alone in a hotel room...

His daydreaming was interrupted by the sound of his phone beeping as it received a message. Woohyun delivered the coffee to the customer along with a winsome smile and settled behind the counter to see who had messaged him. 

"Kibummie?" he said aloud, noticing from the notification that he'd sent a picture. He opened the message...

And promptly dropped the phone on the floor, yelping. 

"Woohyun?" Sungyeol came over to him, picking up the phone and looking at the screen. 

On the screen was a photo of Myungsoo photographing someone who was styled well and looked vaguely like...

"Howon?" Sungyeol gaped. 

Woohyun wailed.  
.  
.  
.  
"Kibummie!" Woohyun paced up and down in the small office that belonged to Sunggyu. Sunggyu had shoved him in there to cool down so he wouldn't spook the customers. Instead of cooling down, he'd called his best friend and roommate, Kim Kibum. 

"What? Aren't you working? Don't you appreciate the beautiful photo I sent you?" came Kibum's sharp, gleeful voice over the line. "All thanks to my deft fingers that styled him~"

"That's not the point," Woohyun said.

"Not the point?" Kibum said icily. "Then there's no point."

"No! I mean - why is he styled like that? And why is Myungsoo taking pictures of him?" Woohyun added quickly. "Your styling is on point, of course." 

Kibum huffed. "Ask him yourself." Woohyun heard him calling out to Howon in the background and waited impatiently. 

Finally the phone was passed to Howon. "Woohyun?" 

"Yah, Lee Howon," Woohyun said, having worked himself into an upset frenzy. "Why are you taking photos with Kim Myungsoo?"

"I'm not taking photos with him," Howon replied calmly - too calmly, Woohyun thought. "He's taking photos of me. For his portfolio." 

"But why are you all made up and styled like that?!" Woohyun yelled. 

"Myungsoo said it was necessary for the shoot," Howon replied. "Woohyun, you don't have to shout, I can hear you just fine." 

"Why - why did you agree?" Woohyun spluttered. "And you didn't tell me anything!" 

"You've been busy with work," Howon said. "Anyway, he offered to buy me meat in exchange."

"You sold yourself for meat?!" Woohyun blurted out. 

The silence that greeted his remark was deafening. Still, Woohyun refused to apologize. Howon had done wrong to him too! How dare he model for that thirsty Kim Myungsoo who was undoubtedly enjoying his chance to ogle Howon right now. Woohyun seethed. 

"You're behaving like a drama queen," Howon finally said, sounding annoyed. "I have to go back to the photoshoot, I'll call you later."

"Don't call back unless you're ready to apologize," Woohyun spat. 

"...I don't think I've done anything that requires an apology," was the icy reply, before the call ended. 

Woohyun sat down on the floor forlornly. He'd gone too far. 

But he was still mad! How dare Howon.  
.  
.  
.  
The cafe was closing early that day, because Sunggyu needed to settle accounts and bills. Woohyun slumped in the cuddle corner, squashing a fat sheep cushion unhappily. It was already 8.30 pm and his phone hadn't rung once. 

"Hyung, I messed up," Woohyun whined. 

Sunggyu typed on his laptop and ignored him. 

"Hyuuuuung," Woohyun whined. "What do I do?"

"Apologize," Sunggyu said without lifting his head. 

"But I did nothing wrong!" Woohyun complained.

"Then wait for him to apologize," Sunggyu said dryly.

"But he's mad at me..." Woohyun whimpered. "I can feel it." 

His phone beeped and Woohyun snatched it up, unlocking it hastily.

"Myungsoo," he said in disgust. "Probably gloating." He clicked on the notification anyway, and was greeted with a beautifully taken photo of a gorgeous person.

The eyeliner framed his eyes perfectly, making them look bright and lively, unlike his usual sleepy-eyed look. His hair was styled messily yet expertly, his fringe feathering over his thick eyebrows and obscuring them slightly. His lips were a rosy pink, and looked so kissable...Woohyun felt like crying. 

"My boyfriend is so handsome," he sighed. 

"Provided you still have one," Sunggyu snorted.

"Ugh, that’s true. What if Myungsoo seduced him away with his camera lens?" Woohyun complained. "Can I sue for entrapment?" 

So engrossed was Woohyun in staring at the picture that he didn't hear the door bells ring, or see the person walk towards him until said person was standing in front of him.

"It's not a crime, and he didn't succeed," said a familiar voice. 

Woohyun's eyes widened and he looked up. "Howon!"

Howon, still in his full makeup and hairstyle from the photoshoot looking a hundred times more handsome than the picture in Woohyun's phone, smiled at him. "Hiya."

"You - you didn't call!" Woohyun spluttered. 

Howon raised an eyebrow. "You said not to call if I wasn't ready to apologize. I don't think I did anything wrong, so I didn't call."

Woohyun pouted. His resolve to stay mad was fast fading, though. It was hard to stay angry when his very handsome boyfriend was standing in front of him looking like he stepped out from a magazine cover. "You should have removed the makeup," he grumbled, squashing the fat sheep cushion tightly. "What if someone hit on you on your way here?" 

"Are you saying I'm not handsome without makeup?" Howon retorted. 

"Of course not!" Woohyun said hastily. "But...you're...well, you're hotter like this." He sulked. "I don't like that Myungsoo got to take photos of you like this. And eat meat with you."

Howon blinked. "I didn't eat meat with him," he said. He pulled out a voucher. "I made him buy me a gift voucher so I could go eat with you." 

Woohyun felt like his world had burst into steak-shaped confetti. "Without Myungsoo?"

"Without Myungsoo," Howon confirmed. "And I made him promise in writing to hand over the original photos to me after he compiled them for his portfolio."

Now Woohyun was positive his eyes had turned into heart shapes. "Hobaby~ I don't deserve you," he sang, clutching Howon around his waist and kissing him soundly. 

"Out of my cafe now, or I'll tear up your voucher," Sunggyu threatened, lifting his head to glare at the couple. 

They made their quick escape, strolling arm in arm towards the barbecue restaurant. 

"Woohyunnie, I don't have makeup remover, though," Howon said, wrinkling his nose. "And Kibum put so much stuff in my hair, it's all crinkly and dry."

"I can help you with that," Woohyun said cheerfully, making a mental note to thank Kibum and then persuade him to stay out tonight. "We can swipe Kibum's makeup remover and special shampoo later, he won't mind." 

Howon nodded. "Will it take very long?"

"It might," Woohyun said solemnly. "You can stay over tonight anyway, Kibum isn't coming back."

"But he said he was going back to his dorm room after the shoot," Howon said confusedly.

"To put his things down," continued Woohyun calmly, "and then go out. Anyway, did Myungsoo try to flirt with you?" 

"No," Howon replied firmly. "He did have to stop the shoot a few times to go to the toilet, though. I think he was crying."

"Oh." Woohyun reminded himself not to gloat too much in front of Myungsoo in case the kid destroyed all his photos in an angsty moment. He'd have to take more selcas with Howon later, to immortalise the moment. Or maybe he could get Kibum to teach him the makeup technique so he could use it on Howon any time he wanted...Woohyun hummed happily. 

"For someone who yelled at me over the phone, you sure are happy now," Howon commented. "Is it because of the meat?"

"Aha, yes," Woohyun laughed sheepishly. "Meat is love! Howonnie is so hot, I don't feel cold at all!" 

Embarrassed, Howon shoved Woohyun, who dramatically staggered away and then staggered back, planting another kiss on Howon's cheek. 

"Yah, if you keep behaving like this I'll invite Myungsoo along," Howon said.

"I'll behave!" Woohyun yelped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pic credit: hogam (on pic)
> 
> If you have any prompts, leave them in the comments!


	15. "Study" time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for some rated content (don't expect too much hur)

Howon sat primly in a straight-backed chair in front of his study table in his dorm room. His textbook was open in front of him, and he had a yellow legal pad, a highlighter and a pen next to it. A coffee-stained cup sat off to the side, alone and forgotten. 

He was alone in the room. Dongwoo had gone back home for winter break while he had decided to stay on and do a winter course in entertainment law. 

Ding Dong! The doorbell rang. Howon sighed. 

"Howonnie! I brought you coffee and sandwiches!"

Howon reluctantly opened the door. "Hi, Woohyun." 

"You haven't eaten, here's food for you." Woohyun bustled in with a plastic bag and a coffee cup carrier. He put the bag and coffee cup on Howon's study table and smiled at him. 

"...I guess I could take a break," Howon said. 

Half an hour later, Howon had returned to studying, but in a markedly different way compared to before. 

Woohyun had sulked-pouted-cajoled Howon into agreeing to cuddle while he studied. Something about keeping warm and helping him concentrate. So now they were cuddled on the bed, Howon sitting in between Woohyun's legs, his back resting against Woohyun's chest. His textbook lay in his lap, his trusty pen and highlighter clutched in his left hand. 

It was definitely more comfortable and warmer than just now, but it was also very distracting. 

Not to mention the memories that resurfaced, from one week ago... 

Howon fought to keep his composure as the memories of their first time together came to mind again for the nth time that week. 

A week ago, Woohyun had floated the idea of booking a hotel room to spend the night in while they were engaged in a very heated session of making out in Howon's dorm room. 

Howon had stared at him, gulped, and then solemnly offered to pay half of the price. To which Woohyun burst out in laughter and Howon pushed him indignantly and their make out session came to a close. 

Howon, being a diligent student, had dutifully read up beforehand, but nothing could have prepared him for what he experienced that night. Even now, if he concentrated, he could still feel Woohyun's gentle hands caressing his skin, the heavy warmth of Woohyun gliding in and out of him, and Woohyun's kisses feathering down his neck...

Wait. The last wasn't a memory. Howon tapped Woohyun on the head with his pen. "Yah." 

Woohyun broke away from his neck. "Yes?" 

"I'm studying," said Howon. 

Woohyun nodded. "Uh-huh, keep going."

"You're disturbing me," Howon said. 

"But I need to do something or I'll be bored." Woohyun looked earnestly at Howon. 

"Read a book or play with your handphone," Howon suggested.

"I don't wanna read and my phone is charging on the table," Woohyun replied. 

Howon knew Woohyun was in a playful mood and decided to ignore him. "Whatever. Just don't disturb me." He returned his attention to his readings. 

Woohyun kissed his neck one final time then stopped. He wrapped his arms around Howon’s waist, pulling him closer. Howon highlighted an important passage. 

Woohyun hummed and rubbed Howon's hip, his breath feathering over Howon's nape. Howon shivered slightly but carefully wrote out his comment in the margin of his textbook. 

Woohyun put both hands on Howon's hips, rubbing gently before moving his hands downwards, over Howon's outer thighs. Howon had enough and closed his book with a sharp clap, startling Woohyun. 

"What's up, Howonnie?" Woohyun asked confusedly. 

"I can't concentrate like this," Howon said, twisting around to face him.

"Why?" Woohyun blinked. 

Howon gestured to Woohyun's hands, which were still on his thighs. "You keep touching me. I can't focus."

"Oh! Well, um, try harder to focus?" Woohyun suggested. 

Howon rolled his eyes at him. "Yah, Nam Woohyun. Do you want to have sex?"

"Eh?!" Woohyun looked genuinely surprised. "Uh, no, why?"

"Because you're groping me," Howon said, ears reddening. "Like how you did that day..."

"Oh." Woohyun pulled his hands away, blushing. "Oops. I wasn't doing it on purpose, I swear! Maybe it's just natural instinct to want to touch you when we're alone..."

"So, sex?" Howon asked primly. "Is that what you want?"

"No!" Woohyun said. "You said you have a test tomorrow, right? You need to study so that you won’t fail! We can meet up after your test." He massaged Howon's shoulders. "Fighting!" The day after their first night together had been Howon's first day of winter school, and because of his physical condition and fever, he had missed his classes. Woohyun had felt so guilty, even though Howon reassured him that it was alright.

Howon eyed him. “Are you sure?”

“Yes!” Woohyun nodded his head vigorously. “If you got sick or something and couldn’t take the test, I’d feel so guilty. Or if you couldn’t finish your readings and failed because you couldn’t answer the questions, I’d feel so bad!” 

Howon stifled a smile. "In that case," he said, "why don't you go out and buy dinner? Maybe by the time you return I'll be done with this chapter and we can eat." 

Woohyun nodded frantically. "Ok! What do you want to eat?"

"Army stew," Howon said. "From the restaurant near the bookstore I work at."

"Army stew," Woohyun repeated. "Okay!" He kissed Howon's cheek. 

"Take your time," Howon said as Woohyun slipped his jacket on. "It's slippery outside." 

"Okay! See you!" Woohyun shut the door. 

Howon grinned to himself, thankful Woohyun didn't see the delivery menu for the restaurant on his table. The restaurant was a good half an hour away, so inclusive of waiting time, Howon reckoned he had a good one and a half hours to finish studying before Woohyun returned. 

He hummed a happy tune and reopened his textbook. Study first, fun later.


	16. A bucketful of sugar makes the medicine go down

The bells chimed as Howon stepped into Moonbucks Cafe, which was decked out in purple and gold decorations for the Christmas season. It was very pretty, but it was missing something. Howon frowned. 

"Where's Woohyunnie?" he asked Sunggyu, who looked exasperated. 

"Yah, is that how you greet me?" Sunggyu said crossly. 

"Sorry," Howon said meekly. "Good afternoon, Sunggyu-hyungnim. Is Woohyun in the back?" They'd sent each other their work schedules so they wouldn't have to keep texting each other during work time and earn the ire of their bosses. 

"He's not in the back," Sunggyu said. 

"Then, is he on a delivery?" Howon asked. 

"Nope," said Sunggyu. 

"Is he out buying supplies for the cafe?" Howon asked. 

"No," said Sunggyu.

"Yah hyung, stop making Howon guess," Sungyeol said irritably. "Just tell him already and come help with the cashier." 

Sunggyu pondered. "But both of them always annoy me, so it's only fair I annoy him now."

"And you think he won't be upset when he finds out Woohyun is sick and you're still playing guessing games with him?" Sungyeol said disbelievingly.

"Woohyun is sick?!" Howon said, surprised. "He didn't tell me." 

"Yeah, he called in and said he has a fever and flu," grumbled Sunggyu. "And we're shorthanded today. Can you help?"

Howon was already walking out the door, typing something on his phone. "Oh! Sorry, hyung, I'm going to check on Woohyun. Um, I'll try to con Myungsoo into coming over. If he comes in looking for me, make him do some work for you. Bye~" 

Sunggyu sighed. "Puppy love."

Sungyeol sighed. "I want one too."

"An Woohyun?" Sunggyu looked askance at him. 

"No way." Sungyeol shuddered.  
.  
.  
.  
During Howon's walk to Woohyun's dorm, he'd called Woohyun at least ten times, but Woohyun hadn't picked up. Howon frowned. Hopefully he was just sleeping. 

He rang the doorbell. 

The door opened. "Oh, Howonah," Woohyun said, surprised. "Come in."

Howon eyed him critically as he stepped into the room. Woohyun looked tired and pale and his nose was red. A box of tissues rested on his desk and his waste bin was overflowing with used tissues. 

"You didn't go to work?" Howon said. 

"Uh, yeah," Woohyun said. "Anyway, can I get you something?

Howon saw a bunch of drawings on his table. "Aren't you sick?" he asked. "Why are you drawing?"

Woohyun looked sheepish. "I'm not that sick, I'm fine. Are you hungry? Shall I get you some food?" 

Howon bit his lip. Woohyun was coughing while he talked and his eyes were rather unfocused. He stepped forward, put one hand on Woohyun's forehead and the other on his own forehead. 

"You're burning up!" Howon exclaimed. "You need to see a doctor!"

"I've seen one," Woohyun said, sniffling. 

"And? I'm sure he didn't prescribe drawing as a medicine for you," Howon demanded. "Where's your medicine? Have you taken it? Have you eaten food?" 

Woohyun looked at Howon meekly. "I don't like taking medicine." 

"Eh?" Howon blinked. 

Woohyun sat on the bed. "When I was young, I choked while swallowing a pill. Since then, I don't like swallowing pills. I can, but it makes me scared." He made a face. "Plus they're so bitter." 

Howon sat next to him. Woohyun was usually boisterous, touchy-feely and lovey-dovey around him. It was rare for him to look so vulnerable and sick. Also, Howon was feeling a little guilty, since Woohyun's trip to get army stew for him in subzero temperatures had probably contributed to his illness. 

He patted Woohyun's hair, and Woohyun put his head on his shoulder. "Still, you need to take your medicine so you'll get better." He kissed Woohyun's temple. "Lie down and rest. I'm going out for a while to get something." 

"Where are you going?" Woohyun asked anxiously, fingers clutching at Howon's puffy jacket. 

"To the stores downstairs to get some things," Howon replied. He gently pried Woohyun's fingers away from his jacket and coaxed him to lie down under the blankets. "I'll be back soon."

"Pass me my phone," Woohyun said, and Howon obliged. "If I call, you have to pick up." 

"Ok," said Howon. "I called you ten times just now but you didn't pick up."

Woohyun looked apologetic and upset. "I'm so sorry, I was sleeping..." 

"It's just a joke, Woohyunnie." Howon patted his shoulder. "I knew you were sick, Sunggyu-hyung told me. I'll be back soon, ok?"

Woohyun nodded. "Take the room key."  
.  
.  
.  
Howon returned ten minutes later carrying a few plastic bags. 

"Howonnie, you're back?" Woohyun said drowsily, trying to sit up. 

Howon put the bags on the table and hurried to his side, helping him to sit up and cushioning his back with pillows. "Be careful," he said. 

Woohyun grabbed his hand. "You're cold," he said unhappily. "What if you fall sick?" 

Howon shook his head. "Why are you worrying about me when you're the one who's sick?" He clucked his tongue. "I bought porridge for you. Eat some before you take your medicine?"

Woohyun pouted. "But medicine is bitter."

Howon stroked his hair. "I'll feed you your porridge, ok?"

"Mouth to mouth?" Woohyun asked hopefully.

Howon rolled his eyes. "You're not a baby bird, Woohyun." He got up and retrieved the container of porridge, stirring it before scooping out a spoonful and blowing on it. "Here."

Woohyun obediently ate. 

"Did you eat anything at all today?" Howon asked, brows knitted with worry. 

Woohyun shook his head. "I dragged myself out to see the doctor and then came back and crashed. I was too tired to eat."

"You should have told me," Howon said. "Or asked Sunggyu-hyung to help."

"But you're busy with school and Sunggyu-hyung has to run his cafe," Woohyun said.

"Kibum?" Howon suggested. 

"He's helping out at a photoshoot on Jeju Island," Woohyun replied. 

"Don't you have any other friends?" asked Howon. 

Woohyun looked sheepish. "I didn't want to bother anyone."

" But what if you got worse?" Howon chided him. "You could have gotten really ill and no one would know. Your health is important, you know. Next time, please tell me if you're ill."

Woohyun still looked doubtful. "But your studies are important..."

Howon put down the spoon and cupped Woohyun's face in his hands. "But you're important to me too. And if you're going to be silly about asking your friends for help when you're sick, then I'll just have to care for you myself."

Woohyun blinked at him. "Howonnie, you're so..."

"So what?" Howon let go of his face, starting to feed him again. 

"So...nice," Woohyun said earnestly. 

"Oh," said Howon. "Um."

"So nice to care for me like this," Woohyun clarified, smiling happily, although he was still pale and shivering. 

"Aren't I scolding you? You like it?" Howon said dryly. 

Woohyun smiled. "That's part of the way you love," he said. 

Howon could feel his ears turning red, and kept quiet. 

"Your ears are feverish," Woohyun teased him. 

"I think that's enough porridge," Howon said, ignoring him. "Time for medicine." 

Woohyun's face fell. "Howonnie, I feel loads better already," he pleaded. "Can I not take it? Please?"

"And you'll feel even better if you take your medicine and sleep." Howon rummaged in his plastic bag and pulled out a pack of Woohyun's favorite yogurt drink. "Here, you can swallow your pills with this." He grabbed the small white bag that held Woohyun's medication and checked the labels, popping the pills from their blister tabs into his hand. "It's just three tiny pills, Woohyunnie. You can do it."

Woohyun reluctantly took the yogurt drink bottle. "I want a kiss for every pill I swallow," he insisted. "On my cheek." 

Howon nodded. "Ok." 

The whole process took half an hour to complete. Woohyun took 5 minutes to work up the courage to take a pill from Howon, sipped a little of the drink, popped the pill into his mouth and sucked down a lot of the yogurt drink, swallowed the pill and drink and started coughing, insisted Howon kiss his cheek for at least a minute, repeat. 

By the time he was done, he'd gone through three of the yogurt drink bottles, and Howon was tired. "Sleep," Howon said, tucking Woohyun in and putting a damp washcloth on his forehead

Woohyun snuggled down underneath his blankets. "Pat me to sleep?" he asked. "After I fall asleep, you can go back to your dorm and study, " he said.  
Howon pulled out a thermometer, opened the packaging, disinfected it and then stuck it into Woohyun's mouth. 

When it beeped, he pulled it out. "38.5 degrees Celsius," Howon read, frowning. He cleaned the thermometer and put it away, before grabbing a clean cloth he had bought and heading to the ensuite bathroom.

When he returned, he put the damp, folded cloth on Woohyun's forehead. 

"You don't have to-" Woohyun began to say.

"If you talk, I won't pat you to sleep," Howon said. 

Woohyun stayed silent. 

"I brought my books along, I'll study here after you fall asleep," Howon patted his shoulder in a slow rhythm. "You still have a high fever, I need to monitor you. Don't worry about me."

Woohyun leaned into Howon's touch, closing his eyes. "Love you, Howonnie," he said groggily. 

"Eung, love you too," Howon said. "Get well soon."


	17. Love is a battlefield

"Howonnie, I'm going back to my parents' home for the weekend," said Woohyun as they walked back to Howon's dorm after having dinner together.

"Okay," said Howon. "Have fun." 

"I told my mother about you and she invited you to come over for dinner," Woohyun continued. 

"Eh? I'm sorry, Woohyunnie, but I have a lot of readings to complete..." Howon gave him a sheepish smile. 

"Yah, that's what you keep saying," Woohyun complained. "But you have enough time to work your shifts at the bookstore, have lunch with Sungjong, hang out at the cafe with Sunggyu-hyung and Sungyeol, and meet me for dates. How come you can do all that but you can't go for dinner with my parents? I'll pay for a cab, if you're worried about the travelling time."

Howon bit his lip. "I have to work to earn allowance, I need to eat regular meals, I'm not hanging out at the cafe, I'm studying, and if I didn't date you, you'd whine," he answered. 

"You make it sound like I'm the only one who wants to date," Woohyun shot back. "We don't have to meet if you'd rather study." 

Howon sighed. "It's not that. I just. I really have a lot on my plate now, Woohyun-ah. Can we not discuss this now?" 

Woohyun set his jaw stubbornly. "If you meet my parents for dinner, I won't disturb you for a week. Two, even."

"That's not - you can't substitute it like that," Howon said. "It's not the same."

"Why?" Woohyun demanded. "Because meeting my parents is so torturous? Like dating me?" 

Howon raked his hand through his hair in frustration. "No."

"Then what is it?" Woohyun pressed. 

"It's just - I'm just not ready right now, ok?" Howon finally said. "I have articles to read and papers to research and write and presentations to prepare for and meeting your parents will just be extra stress for me." 

"Stress?" Woohyun echoed. "Meeting my parents won't be stressful. They're very nice people."

"To you, of course, they're your parents," Howon said.

"Are you saying I'm delusional?" Woohyun said incredulously. "Or that my parents aren't nice? When you haven't even met them?"

Howon let out a deep breath. "You should go back to your dorm room," he said quietly. "It's getting late, and it's cold. We can continue this discussion another time."

"What for, when you'll just repeat the same things, and then find some lame excuse to 'continue this discussion another time'," Woohyun spat angrily. "We're just going in circles."

Howon bit his lip and clasped Woohyun's hand lightly. "It's not like that, Woohyunnie," he tried to say. "I really do have a lot of homework." 

"Is it because of your parents?" Woohyun asked, ignoring Howon. "Because you can't come out to them and so you don't want to meet them?" 

"That doesn't make sense," Howon said. "I'm really very busy."

"But you'll always be busy," Woohyun said. "You're studying law. After you graduate, you'll be a lawyer, and you'll be even busier. When will you be free to visit my parents?"

Howon bit his lip and didn't answer, looking down. 

Woohyun looked weary. "Fine. Go do your readings." He pulled his hand away from Howon's. "When you're done, you know where to find me." He walked away from Howon. "Provided you ever finish them."

Howon watched him leave silently, before he trudged back to his room.  
.  
.  
.  
"One hazelnut latte and one espresso, no milk or sugar," Sungjong ordered at Moonbucks Cafe. 

Sungyeol whistled. "Straight espresso? You're bold."

"It's not for me," Sungjong said. "The hazelnut latte is mine. The espresso is for Howon-hyung."

"He's not drinking hazelnut latte?!" Sungyeol looked shocked. 

Sungjong shrugged. "He looks like a wreck today. Apparently he's been pulling all-nighters to finish his coursework." He looked over at Woohyun, who was sweeping the floor and trying not to look too interested. "I suppose it's a good thing you haven't been coming over to the bookstore to pester him. Hyung's so tired that sometimes he falls asleep on the counter." 

Woohyun bit his lip. "Has he eaten?"

Sungjong shrugged. 

Woohyun propped the broom against the wall. "Wait for a while, I'll make sandwiches for you to bring back for him." 

"Such a loving boyfriend," Sungyeol sighed. "I wish I had one."

"An Woohyun?" Sungjong said.

"Ew, no." Sungyeol wrinkled his nose in disgust. 

"Sungyeol, I'll make the drinks too!" Woohyun called out from the kitchen. "You can finish sweeping the floor!"

"Just call me Janitor Yeol," Sungyeol sighed, and did as he was told.

Woohyun wrapped up the hot sandwiches and tucked them in the paper bag. He hesitated, but then drew a huge smiley face with winged smiley hearts on the bag and a cute 'Fighting!' in a speech bubble. 

When he came out of the kitchen, though, Sungjong was no longer there.

"Where'd he go?" he asked confusedly.

Sungyeol rolled his eyes. "You took so long that Sungjong had to go to work or he'd be late. Go deliver it before our morning crowd comes in."

"Oh." Woohyun fidgeted. "Uh, can you deliver it?"

Sungyeol looked at him incredulously. "You'd rather stay here and mop, wipe the windows and glass display, clean the counter and restock the cups? Instead of taking a fifteen minute walk and flirting with your boyfriend? Where are your priorities?"

"But I always get scolded by Sunggyu-hyung for taking too long," Woohyun protested. 

"Hurry up," Sunggyu said absently. "Before the crowd comes."  
.  
.  
.  
Woohyun dragged his feet to the bookstore, not sure how Howon would react to seeing him. He'd said some pretty harsh words to Howon, and although he regretted the words, he didn't regret bringing the topic up. It was strange that Howon was so reluctant to meet his parents, and Woohyun wanted to know why Howon was behaving like that.

"Here's the food and drink," he said to Sungjong. Howon was nowhere in sight. "Um, where's Howon?"

Sungjong nodded to the back of the bookstore. "He's in the backroom, napping. He was really tired and couldn't concentrate so I told him to go nap before boss comes in."

"Oh." Woohyun fidgeted. 

Sungjong raised an eyebrow. "You can go see him if you want," he said to Woohyun. 

Woohyun couldn't say no to such a pointed suggestion. "Okay," he said. 

Howon was perched on a stack of books in the small backroom, resting his head on his arm. He was fast asleep despite the awkward position. Seeing him like this made Woohyun's heart ache. 

Howon awoke as he heard the soft click of the door closing and he lifted his head quickly, rubbing his eyes, glasses askew. 

"It's just me," Woohyun said hastily. "Not your boss."

Howon blinked, settling down again as he focused on Woohyun. "Woohyunnie?" he said groggily. "I'm not done with my work...I'm sorry..."

Now Woohyun felt terrible. "It's okay," he said, approaching Howon, adjusting his glasses and rubbing his back. "You look exhausted. Stayed up all night?"

Howon nodded. "So much to read." He yawned. "You brought the espresso?"

"Yeah," Woohyun said. "I put sugar and milk in it though. Drinking it straight is really bad for you. Also, I packed a sandwich, make sure you eat it first."

Howon nodded. He got off the pile of books and straightened his clothes. "Um, Woohyun?"

"Yeah?" Now that they were both standing, the place felt small and cramped. Normally Woohyun would have snuck a few kisses from Howon at this point, but the atmosphere felt awkward. 

"I'll...I should be done with my work by Sunday," said Howon. "Can we meet for dinner?"

Woohyun impulsively hugged him upon hearing those words. "Of course," he said. "I'm sorry, you must be under so much stress now, and I made it worse..."

Howon hugged him back, leaning on him for a brief moment. "It's ok." He took a deep breath. "I'll... I'll try to explain things to you then...I just can't concentrate right now. I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Woohyun kissed him. "It's ok. Study hard, and remember to get enough food and rest. Espressos will only get you so far."

Howon nodded. "Ok."  
.  
.  
.  
The weekend came all too soon and Woohyun met Howon at the cafe. 

Howon looked much better this time, compared to the wreck he had been previously. 

"Where do you want to go?" Woohyun asked Howon. "Do you have enough heat packs? Are you dressed warmly?"

Howon nodded, dressed in his usual outfit of many layers of winter clothing and a thick scarf and puffy red jacket on top. He had pulled the hood of his jacket low so that only his eyes peeked out, bright and shining behind his spectacles. "Let's go eat fried chicken and beer," he suggested. 

"In the restaurant?" Woohyun wrinkled his nose. "The oil smell will cling to our clothes, and we'll have a ton of laundry to do."

"We can get a takeout and then go to a park to eat?" Howon suggested. 

"Oh! Let's go to WY park! There's a pond there for ice skating," Woohyun said. "You can skate, right?"

"Um, a little," Howon said dubiously. "Can you?"

"A little," Woohyun said sheepishly. "We can pull each other around?"

It turned out that both of them had accurately described their standard of ice skating, and they spent more time helping each other to stand up than actually skating. 

"I had just stood up and you pulled me down," Howon sighed, sitting on the ice. "Honestly."

"You crashed into me just now!" Woohyun complained from his sprawled position next to him. Kiddie skaters whizzed past them with their parents, curiously asking their parents about those two weird red and blue puffballs flailing on the ice. 

Howon and Woohyun looked at each other and began to laugh, which only scared the children further.  
.  
.  
.  
"Maybe next time we can go to a rink with railings," said Howon as they carried their six pack of beer and freshly fried chicken to a park bench. "Not this empty open space with nothing to grab except the person next to you."

Woohyun laughed. "You probably would have better balance if you weren't wearing so much clothing," he teased Howon, poking at his puffy jacket. "I bet you can't even feel this."

Howon frowned. "Don't ruin my jacket with your grease-stained fingers," he said huffily. "It's new."

"I know, I bought this jacket for you because your black one looked like a trash bag," Woohyun said. 

"Exactly. Don't ruin it," Howon said primly. "Oh, we can sit over there." He pointed to a sheltered hut that was empty and had benches inside. 

Woohyun peeked inside. "Why is it empty, though?" he said suspiciously. 

"Because only we are dumb enough to picnic outside in this weather, maybe?" Howon said, entering and putting the bag of fried chicken down. "Let's eat."

They feasted on fried chicken and washed it down with gulps of beer. 

"Ah~" Woohyun tore a piece of chicken and fed it to Howon, who scowled but ate it, cheeks and ears red. 

"Feed me too?" Woohyun begged. 

Howon held out a whole chicken drumstick for him to bite into. 

"Not like that!"  
.  
.  
.  
They'd reduced their dinner to a pile of clean chicken bones and empty beer cans, but huddled together in companionable silence, not wanting to leave just yet. 

Woohyun was the first to speak up. "You know, I've had around 3-4 boyfriends," he said. "Not counting you."

Howon resisted the urge to say "you can't keep track?" and stayed quiet. 

"I only brought the first boyfriend home," Woohyun said. "But after I did, he broke up with me."

"Are your parents that scary?" Howon asked warily.

Woohyun laughed. "No, it wasn't them," he said. "After the dinner, he said that it was too serious for him, and he didn't think he could commit to this sort of relationship." 

"Oh," Howon said. He looked down.

"But I should have seen the signs," Woohyun shrugged. "He wanted to keep our relationship secret, we couldn't date in public, etc. Everything was private and hidden."

Howon frowned. "That's not a very nice relationship," he said.

"Yeah," Woohyun said. "Anyway, after that, I didn't bring anyone home. I didn't think it was serious enough to, and true enough, we didn't last long each time. Until you." He gazed at Howon. 

"But we've only been together for...a month? Um, two months? I'm not very good at counting," Howon said sheepishly. 

Woohyun laughed. "Me neither, " he said. "I think it's been about one and a half months officially," he said. "It feels a lot longer to me though."

Howon ducked his head shyly. "One and a half months isn't long."

"Well, no," Woohyun admitted. "But it's been blissful."

"Even the fighting?" Howon asked, looking dubious.

"You're shy, but you're not afraid to admit I'm your boyfriend to your friends." Woohyun gazed at him intensely. "You cringe at overly romantic acts, but you spoil me when I'm sick. And you pull all-nighters to finish your studies so you can date me. I think I'm very blessed." 

Howon put his hands to his ears. 

"Are you cold?" Woohyun put his hands over Howon's hands. 

"Shivering from the intense sweetness," Howon deadpanned. Woohyun grinned but didn't let go. 

"Well, that's why I really want to introduce you to my parents," Woohyun explained. "I'm sorry for getting angry at you the other day. After I cooled down, I remembered what you told me about cases and how there's always two different sides to any story and people fight because they interpret things differently. So I figured you must have your own reasons for acting that way and I was interpreting your reasons wrongly."

Howon stared at him. "I didn't know you actually listened when I was telling you about that. I thought you fell asleep."

"Why would I fall asleep if you're talking to me?" Woohyun said dramatically. "I'd concentrate even if you were reading to me from the bibliography of your law textbook."

Howon laughed. "I hope I never have to tell you a bedtime story so you'll fall asleep, then." He pried Woohyun's hands off his hands and clasped them. "I should explain myself too."

Woohyun nodded. "Take your time."

"There isn't really much to say," Howon said. "I'm shy."

Woohyun nodded. "I know." From their first meeting till now, he knew Howon was painfully shy, and took a while to warm up to new people. 

"I'm shy, but I also feel really comfortable with you," Howon said. "I'm - I'm really happy that we like each other."

Woohyun beamed. "I'm happy too!"

"So the thought of meeting your parents and having to make a good impression and talk well and have beautiful manners and everything just scares the hell out of me," Howon said in one breath. "What if I ruin it by saying something wrong? What if I don't say anything and your parents think I'm rude? What if I can't continue the conversation and they think I have no social skills? What if I crack a joke and they think it's lame?"

"Howonnie." Woohyun grabbed his hands, shaking them. "You won't ruin anything."

"You don't know that," Howon said morbidly. "I'm not very good at first impressions."

Woohyun gazed at him tenderly. "Well, that's true."

"Yah, you're not supposed to agree," Howon grumbled. 

"The first time I met you, you were drenched and looked like a wreck. The next few times, you could barely talk to me or anyone, and kept to yourself. After that, we even fought over my heart-shaped blobs. Even after we became friends, you were still awkward and shy whenever we met."

Howon shifted uncomfortably. "What's your point?"

"That by normal standards, you didn't make a good impression, but I still fell in love with you," Woohyun said solemnly. "And I have my parents' genes, so they should love you too, even if you accidentally mess up." 

Howon stared at him. "Doesn't that just make you abnormal?" he said, amused. 

Woohyun whined. "Work with me here, I'm trying to comfort you. Did it work?"

"I guess," Howon said. "But I honestly don't think I'm ready to meet them yet. I don't mind if you tell them about me, or send them a picture of us, but the thought of meeting them right now is overwhelming. I'll buy Christmas presents for them."

"Shall we take a picture now and send it to them?" Woohyun grinned. "And maybe you can work towards meeting them during the lunar new year period? Your exams will be over by then, right?" 

Howon nodded. "That sounds good."

"Alright, selfie!" Woohyun whipped out his phone and angled it expertly. "Smile!"

They snapped a few shots, picked the best one and sent it to Woohyun's mom. 

Within seconds, she had replied. 

"Your head is too big, I can't see cutie Howonnie at all, aigoooooo stop hogging the camera Woohyunnie," Woohyun read out, sulking. "Moooooom." He looked over at Howon. "I guess that counts as a good first impression?" 

Howon nodded, laughing when Woohyun pouted. "It's ok, your head isn't big, it's just the angle." He patted Woohyun's shoulder. "Let's go back."

"So we can have hot make up sex?" Woohyun asked hopefully.

Howon raised an eyebrow. "We were fighting?"

"...uh. How about long time no see reunion sex?"

"It's three days, Woohyun-ah, not three months."

"But three days away from you feels like a lifetime!"

"If you keep complaining, I'll suddenly have ten chapters to read by tomorrow."

"I'll behave!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big thank you to everyone who has commented and especially to those who keep commenting on every/nearly every chapter of this very self-indulgent fic. So I'm really glad that many of you have clicked the kudos button/commented, it really makes my day and motivates me to write more! So if you want more fic at a faster rate...you should comment more ;D Even just a one-liner telling me you enjoyed it is perfectly fine with me too! 
> 
> There will be another update on Christmas day itself, so stay tuned for that ^-^


	18. All I want for Christmas

"It's so cold," Sunggyu complained as he ducked into the warm and cosy cafe. "I spend all my money on the cafe's electricity bill and have none for myself."

"But hyung, you have a fireplace," Howon pointed out. He was seated at one of the tables, and Sunggyu slumped into a chair next to him.

"It's fake, you brat. Change your spectacles." Sunggyu yawned. "Ugh, if you weren't here, I could close up. Why are you here, anyway?"

Howon shrugged. "It's warm? I don't have anywhere to go anyway."

"What about that lover boy of yours." Sunggyu scratched his head. "What's his name - oh, Namu."

"Woohyun," said Howon. 

"Yeah, that kid," said Sunggyu. "He named our Christmas tree Hyun."

"Why?"

"Because, Namu Hyun," Sunggyu said flatly.

Howon groaned. "Oh my god."

"Anyway, why aren't you with him?" Sunggyu asked. 

"He's having Christmas lunch with his family," Howon replied.

Sunggyu's face softened. "Oh." He ruffled Howon's hair. 

"Um, hyung, I'm fine. His parents know and accept us. I chose not to join him, that's all," Howon clarified. 

"Yah, shut up and let me comfort you a little," Sunggyu ruffled his hair harder.

"Yes, hyung."  
.  
.  
.  
"So, what do you want to eat?" Sunggyu asked. 

"Um. You're cooking?" Howon said tentatively. 

"That depends on whether you consider making instant noodles as cooking," Sunggyu said dryly. 

Howon shook his head. "Woohyunnie said he left proper food in the fridge for me." He got up. "Go look."

Sunggyu grumbled. "He better have left enough for me too."

It turned out that Woohyun had left two neatly labelled packages: one for Howon, and one for Sunggyu. 

"Why is yours so elaborate and mine...so sloppy," Sunggyu complained. Howon's lunch box was decorated beautifully with octopus sausages and carrot flowers and had a generous serving of beef bulgogi tucked into a quarter of the box. Sunggyu's was vegetable bibimbap, without the egg or hot sauce. A note on the box instructed Sunggyu to get his own. 

"Think of it this way, hyung," Howon said seriously. "Don't people make lunch boxes like this for kids? He thinks I'm a kid."

"Well, he does keep calling you Hobaby," Sunggyu muttered. 

"I'll give you some meat, hyung. Let's eat lunch," Howon soothed him. "And I'll wash the dishes." 

After lunch, they resumed moping around. 

"Is the cafe this empty every year?" Howon asked. 

Sunggyu shrugged. "It's my first year running it."

"Oh."

Silence.

"So, how are you and Woohyun?" Sunggyu asked.  
"Um, fine," Howon said awkwardly. 

Silence fell again. 

"Yah, this is dumb." Sunggyu got up and stalked over to the cake display, pulling out a smaller - sized cake. "Let's eat."

Howon stared at him. "Don't you need to sell that?"

"To whom? It's ok. Let's eat." Sunggyu plunked the cake down on the table, together with two plastic forks. 

Howon eyed the cake. It was very pretty, with swirls of pink frosting, and small sugar animals decorating the top. Still. "Um."

Sunggyu rolled his eyes. "Woohyun made it, not me."

Howon relaxed. "Ah. Thanks, hyung."

Sunggyu sighed, taking a fork and carving a chunk of cake for him to nibble on.

"By the way, why are we using plastic forks?" 

"So that we don't have to wash up, duh."

"Oh."  
.  
.  
.  
"So, really, how are you and Woohyun?" Sunggyu asked again after they had demolished the cake. 

"We're ok, I guess," Howon said. 

Sunggyu eyed him. "Is he using protection?" 

Howon spluttered, and stared at him with wide eyes. "Hyung. That's private."

"He isn't?" Sunggyu glared. "I'm going to kill that tree."

"We are!" Howon said frantically. "But hyung, this is awkward!"

"What is?"

"You asking me about my sex life with Woohyun is awkward!" Howon yelped. "Hyung!"

"Oh." Sunggyu coughed. "Well, I asked you how both of you were doing, after all."

"We're perfectly fine," Howon said primly. "Don't ask."

"So why aren't you at his parents' house for lunch?" Sunggyu asked. 

Howon fell silent, pursing his jaw stubbornly. "I'm shy."

"Shy?" Sunggyu snorted. "You don't seem very shy to me. Are you sure you aren't just running away?"

Howon looked down. "I...I don't think I'm ready to meet them," he said quietly. 

"Why? Are you just leading Woohyun on, and this relationship isn't serious to you at all?" Sunggyu asked bluntly. 

"No!" Howon's head jerked up, but instead of the expected glare or hard stare, he found Sunggyu staring at him fondly. 

"I'm not..." Howon took a deep breath. "I am serious about him. I'm just. I'm just new to all this, hyung, and it's overwhelming and kind of terrifying. I can't deal with too many things at once."

Sunggyu nodded. "I know that. Anyone can see that both of you are crazy for each other."

"And it's...it's my first serious relationship," Howon went on. It was easy to talk to Sunggyu-hyung, much more easier than Dongwoo-hyung, for some reason. Maybe because Howon knew that although Sunggyu was naggy and complained a lot and was brash and curt, he had a very soft spot for Woohyun. He hadn't known it applied to him too, though. "Hyung, I don't know how to behave in a serious relationship. I've never been in one before." He looked at Sunggyu helplessly. "What if I mess up and his parents hate me forever?"

"Oh my god, you're not in a Korean drama," Sunggyu rolled his eyes. "Cool it, kid. If you mess up, just apologise. Don't over think things." He ruffled Howon's hair. "Besides, Woohyun's mother has been nagging at him to bring someone home for the longest time."

"How do you know this?" Howon asked. 

"The kid complains to me during work," Sunggyu said. "He's not blaming you, of course. It seems like she just doesn't want to listen to whatever he says."

"Oh." Howon bit his lip. Now he felt bad. 

"Anyway," Sunggyu stretched, yawning. "Just work on your shyness and make sure you meet them soon. Woohyun's complaining is starting to get annoying." 

Howon snorted. "Don't you nag the most, hyung?"

"Yah, I wouldn't have to nag if both of you were obedient dongsaengs," Sunggyu retorted. "I haven't forgotten all your shenanigans."

"Hyung is so petty," Howon said, shaking his head.

"Says the kid who keeps reminding me that my chocolate pudding gave him diarrhea," Sunggyu shot back.

"You could have killed me!"

"You didn't die. Now, my bedsheets on the other hand..."

"They're just cotton sheets!"

"Do you know how difficult it is to get blood out of cotton?"

"Wow, hyung, how'd you find out? Who did you kill?"

They bickered half the afternoon away, neither wanting to give in, and finally Sunggyu declared he was tired and wanted to nap. "Just wake me up if a customer walks in," he said, settling down in the cuddle corner and closing his eyes.

Howon tinkered with his phone. He'd sent Woohyun a message, but didn't expect him to reply, since Woohyun was busy with his family. 

His phone beeped, and he opened the picture Woohyun had sent him. It was a photo of Woohyun and his family, smiling and looking happy. 'Wishing you were here', read the caption. 

Howon scanned the faces of Woohyun's family members. They looked nice. Maybe meeting them wouldn't be so terrible after all. 

The doorbells chimed, and a pretty, petite girl walked in. 

"Um, hi," Howon said automatically. "Uh, welcome to Moonbucks, I can't take your order but this sleeping guy can. Please wait while I wake him up."

The girl laughed. "It's ok, I'll do it." To Howon's surprise, she walked over to Sunggyu and patted his shoulder. "Sunggyu-oppa!" 

Sunggyu jerked awake all of a sudden, opening his eyes. "Soojungie?" he said, looking up at her in wonder. "But you're supposed to be overseas."

"Well, I'm not." She smiled at him. "I came home for Christmas. I missed you."

Howon looked away as they kissed, feeling bad for intruding on such a private moment. He'd have gotten up and left, but the wind was howling outside and he hated being cold more than being the third wheel. 

"Ahem." Sunggyu cleared his throat. "Howonah, this is my girlfriend, Lee Soojung. She's currently on exchange in Japan, which is why you haven't seen her around. She's a second year music major. Soojung, this is Woohyun's boyfriend, Lee Howon. They're the same age."

Soojung smiled at him. "Nice to meet you, Howon-sshi."

"Hi. Um, we don't have to be so formal," Howon said, wondering if it was too mean to tease Sunggyu about how he managed to get such a pretty girl to date him. 

She smiled. "Then, Howon-oppa?"

Howon nodded, cheeks pink. 

"Yah yah yah, stop flirting," Sunggyu said crossly. 

"We're not flirting, oppa," Soojung said calmly. "Anyway, didn't you say he was dating Woohyun-oppa?"

"Hyung, is this why you've been so cross? Because you missed her?" Howon deftly changed the subject, and had the pleasure of watching Sunggyu's face turn a lovely shade of red. "If you want, I can watch the shop while both of you go upstairs and talk? I'm sure you've missed each other."

Sunggyu coughed. "Yah, these cakes won't sell themselves."

"Oh, you're open?" Soojung said.

They looked at her.

"The sign on your shop is turned to "closed"," she said. 

They looked at each other.

"Hyung, I'm not an employee here, I have no responsibility for your daily operations or lack thereof-"

"Yah! Don't you have eyes?!" 

"I do, but I'm not sure about hyung..."

"Lee Howon!"  
.  
.  
.  
After a minor scuffle which Soojung broke up by soothing Sunggyu and agreeing to sing for the cafe, they opened. 

"It's too late," moaned Sunggyu. "It's already 8 pm and it's so cold outside. Nobody's going to come. My cakes are ruined."

"You could always donate them to an orphanage," suggested Soojung. 

Sunggyu set his jaw stubbornly. "No."

"Why not?" Howon asked. 

"If we bake cakes for orphanages, they need to be special cakes, made for them, and not leftovers. That's what Woohyun says, and I agree with him. I don't want to give them cakes that'll spoil tomorrow," Sunggyu said firmly. 

Howon whistled. "That's very noble of you. But it doesn't solve your problem."

"Well, we only have two cakes that have to be eaten today, the rest will keep till tomorrow," Sunggyu said. "So we just need two kind souls who will buy a cake each - "

The doorbells rattled noisily as Myungsoo and Sungyeol burst into the cafe. "Hi everyone!" Sungyeol chirped.

"Oh great, freeloaders," Sunggyu grumbled.

"Hyung, it's no use trying to pretend you're cross and grumpy when you're holding hands with Soojung under the table," Howon pointed out. 

"Shut up, Howon," Sunggyu said, embarrassed. 

"Oh, it's Soojungie!" Sungyeol said. "This is my boyfriend, Kim Myungsoo."

"Boyfriend?" Howon and Sunggyu echoed incredulously. "Since when?"

"Since, uh, an hour again," Sungyeol said, beaming brightly. 

Myungsoo approached Howon tentatively. "Hyung, I figured you weren't going to break up with Woohyun-hyung for me, so I decided to move on."

Howon nodded. "As you should."

Myungsoo bit his lip. "So if we're friends, I can hug you, right?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess," Howon said dubiously. 

Myungsoo flung his arms around Howon. "I miss you!" he cried dramatically. "Woohyun-hyung kept giving me evil glares and he even put salt in my coffee once so I didn't dare to even talk to you!"

"He what?!" Sunggyu squawked. 

"Oh. Salt in coffee sounds horrible," said Howon, patting his back. "I'll talk to Woohyun."

"Ok, that's enough hugging," Sungyeol said, pulling Myungsoo back. "You can hug me instead."

Myungsoo sniffed delicately. 

"Did someone say hugs?" Dongwoo pranced in. "I love hugs! Who wants a hug?" He scanned the room. "Oho, looks like Howon's the only one without his boyfriend. Want a hug?" 

"No thank you, hyung," Howon said. "Why are you here? Aren't you at your parents' place for Christmas?"

Dongwoo grinned. "Well I was, but I'm here now! He held up two large bags of food. "My mother made way too much food and asked me to drop it off for whoever needs it. So I figured I'd stop by here before I go to meet Yejinnie!" 

"You're attached?" Sungyeol said in disbelief to Howon. 

Howon nodded solemnly. "His girlfriend is a saint for putting up with him."

"So are you, for rooming with him," Sungyeol whispered sympathetically as they watched Dongwoo swing a confused Myungsoo around the room, laughing happily. 

"Dongwoo, are you drunk?" Sunggyu asked. 

"Nuh-uh! I'm just really happy!" Dongwoo chirped. "It's Christmas, and I'm going to meet Yejinnie and her family!"

"Oh, oppa, are you bringing anything over?" Soojung asked innocently. 

"Oh!" Dongwoo stopped dancing. "Oh no, I forgot to buy something!"

Sunggyu was already packing up one of the cakes. "Here, I'll even give you a discount," he said like he was making a huge sacrifice. 

"Thanks, hyung, you're the best!" Dongwoo took the cake box and skipped merrily out the door. "See you all! Merry Christmas!"

"Uh, hyung, I think you forgot something," Howon said.

"What?"

"You forgot to make him pay for it..."

"Jang Dongwoo!!!!!"  
.  
.  
.  
Howon sat back in his chair, watching Myungsoo, Sungyeol, Sunggyu and Soojung play cards. Next to him, Sungjong dug into the food Dongwoo had brought. 

"Don't you have anywhere else to go?" Howon asked Sungjong. 

Sungjong shrugged. "I like the cafe. Everyone else is with family or friends, and mine are back in my hometown." 

"Is that why you offered to work on Christmas day?" Howon asked. 

"Yeah, plus the pay is good. Although, hyung, I'm surprised you didn't work either, since you've been doing nothing the entire day." Sungjong raised an eyebrow. 

"I wanted a break." Howon shrugged. "Exams are coming and I won't have any break after this."

Sungjong hummed. "It's just that, since Woohyun-hyung isn't here, I thought you'd rather work to distract yourself." He got up with his empty plate, taking it to the sink. 

Howon watched him leave, pondering his last sentence. He'd managed to distract himself the entire day, but now, watching the rest goof around, he realized he did miss Woohyun. Even if Woohyun was playing games with the rest, he'd look over to see if Howon was alright, and perhaps even stop his game to sit with Howon, or drag him over to join in the fun. He'd ply Howon with food and drink, making sure he was warm and full. And of course, he snuck kisses and gentle caresses whenever he could. Woohyunnie was full of love, and he made Howon's heart feel full. But when Woohyun wasn't around, part of Howon felt lost. 

He poked at his phone, wondering if he should message Woohyun. Not wanting to disturb the rest, he turned to face a corner, dialling Woohyun's number. 

Woohyun picked up. "Hello, Hobaby~"

"Where are you?" Howon asked. 

"I'm right here," said a familiar voice, breath ghosting over his ear. Warm arms wrapped around him. 

Howon dropped the phone. "Woo-Woohyun?" he stuttered out, almost afraid to turn around. 

Woohyun chuckled. "It's me," he said, tilting Howon's face up to meet his and giving him a sweet kiss. "Miss me?"

Howon nodded dumbly. 

"You two behave like you haven't met each other for years," Sunggyu observed. 

"Aren't they a new couple? New couples are like that," Soojung said. 

Woohyun slid into the chair next to Howon's. "Hyung, Howon told me you didn't open the shop and have leftover cake."

"One leftover cake," Sunggyu said. "I told Dongwoo he has to pay me back for the cake he took." 

"Well, we should eat it," Woohyun said, grinning. "It's nearly midnight, no one's going to come here at this hour."

"He has a point," Sungyeol said.

"Oppa, I'll cut it up, ok?" Soojung got up. 

"...ok..."

"Soojung's the best!"  
.  
.  
.  
After demolishing the cake, Sunggyu finally chased them out. Howon and Woohyun waved goodbye to Sungyeol, Myungsoo and Sungjong. 

"Woohyunah, Dongwoo-hyung isn't in the dorms again," Howon said. 

"Uh-huh," said Woohyun.

"So, um, do you want to come over?" Howon asked, cheeks flushed a rosy pink. 

"Yes!" Woohyun's eyes sparkled. "Of course!" He tugged Howon close to him. "We need to take a hot shower first!"

"Together?"

"Of course together. Like Soojung said, just five minutes apart feels like an eternity..."

"Woohyun, I think she was teasing you."

"But that's really how I feel!"

Howon smiled. 'I feel the same way,' he whispered in his heart, knowing that if he said it out loud now they'd never get home. Maybe he'd say it later...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Namu means tree in Korean. Hence, Namu Hyun - Tree Hyun :D


	19. More than Words

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW. 
> 
> For Bee. Happy birthday, dear <3 I hope the new year brings you nothing but happiness and wonderful memories (:

Woohyun knocked at the door. He’d gotten a message from Howon a while ago, asking him to come over. 

Howon opened the door, tugging Woohyun in. 

“Howonnie!” Woohyun smiled at him. “How was your class?”

Howon shook his head, pushing Woohyun to sit on the bed. Then, to Woohyun’s surprise, he sat down on Woohyun’s lap, facing him.

“Howon?” Woohyun stroked his hair, surprised to get a lapful of Howon but not minding it at all.

Howon hummed and pushed himself down firmly against Woohyun's lap, rubbing himself against Woohyun’s hands when they grazed his butt.

"Woohyun," he murmured softly. For all his bravado and sass, Howon was terribly shy whenever they were alone. Woohyun had learnt how to read behind his softly murmured words and his reserved expressions and his body language that told him what Howon couldn’t bring himself to express in words. 

He grinned. Sometimes, though, he liked pushing Howon a little. "Hm?" he asked thoughtfully. 

Howon made a little noise of distress and looked at Woohyun reproachfully. 

But then again, Woohyun could barely resist him, so it was always extremely difficult for him to make things difficult for Howon.

He pulled Howon down and kissed him. "Bad day?" he asked gently, cupping his cheeks.

"Very," Howon murmured against his lips, nuzzling against his hands. "Help me?" 

They'd developed their own coded language for sex, because Howon was embarrassed about explicitly asking for it and Woohyun found the idea of having their own secret code arousing.

Woohyun deepened the kiss, roughly stripping Howon of his shirt and unbuckling his pants. A bad day meant rough sex. A very bad day meant very rough sex, consent given in advance, foreplay unnecessary. 

And Woohyun was more than willing to give Howon what he needed, when he needed it. 

Howon got off his lap for a brief moment to pull off his pants and boxers. Then he perched himself on Woohyun's lap again, his mouth crushed to his as Woohyun pushed wet fingers into him. He whimpered, but did nothing more than quiver as Woohyun roughly prepared him, scissoring his fingers and forcing the tight ring of muscle to open, pressing the walls of his entrance apart. 

"Woohyun," Howon gasped, clutching at him. Woohyun knew he wasn’t in pain. He knew from the tone of Howon’s voice and the way Howon was grabbing at him that he needed it now.

He pulled his fingers out, lined himself up and entered in one swift movement, sinking completely into Howon. He counted to 3 and started thrusting, gripping Howon’s hips tightly. Howon didn’t need time to adjust, didn’t need him to kiss away his tears and whisper reassuring words. Howon needed to be fucked hard and fast. After four months of being together, Woohyun had learnt all this through loving Howon. 

It was a mark of how far their relationship had come that Howon trusted Woohyun enough to let him to fuck him like this, and Woohyun trusted Howon enough to fuck him hard without hearing his verbal consent. Howon's consent was given in the way he arched his back and bounced himself on Woohyun's cock, in the way he gasped half-formed pleas of Woohyun's name, in the way he grabbed Woohyun's shoulders so hard Woohyun could feel his fingernails sinking into his skin, in the way his body clenched tight around Woohyun and refused to let him go.

Woohyun set a punishing rhythm, until Howon was no longer able to keep up, barely able to balance himself as Woohyun gripped his hips and thrusted into him brutally. His head fell forward on Woohyun's shoulder as he shuddered around Woohyun's cock, coming hard even though he hadn't been touched even once. 

Woohyun pulled out almost completely and then pushed in hard, like a sword being sheathed, and climaxed inside Howon's body. 

Howon shuddered, trying to push himself up, but slid back down on Woohyun's softening cock, too weak. He panted, whimpering.

When Woohyun had composed himself, he started rubbing Howon's back again, long strokes that ran from the back of his nape all the way down to his wet, stretched hole that was still filled with his cock, caressing the pucker lightly. He felt the tension in Howon's back and shoulders dissipate. 

Howon leaned into Woohyun, looking exhausted but sated. Woohyun kissed his temple softly. "Wanna nap? I'll clean you up." 

Howon nodded. "Thanks." 

"For?" Woohyun asked impulsively. Usually Howon would say a soft thanks after sex and usually Woohyun kissed him and left it at that, but today Woohyun was curious. 

"For loving me the way I need to be loved," Howon replied, cheeks pink and eyes soft. 

Woohyun felt his cock stir at the sight and at Howon's words. "Baby," he rumbled. "I don't think you can nap right now." 

Howon blinked and then Woohyun could see the moment he felt Woohyun become aroused inside him again. He enjoyed the play of emotion and pleasure on Howon's face as Howon felt Woohyun swell inside him, both of them intimately joined. 

"I can't nap with that hard stick up my ass," Howon snarked. 

Startled, Woohyun laughed, and they both groaned as the laughter made Woohyun shift inside Howon. 

"You've had your fun," Woohyun said. "Now it's my turn to love you the way I want to love you." He tumbled Howon to the bed, kissing him thoroughly.

Howon’s soft moans filled the air as Woohyun made love to him slowly and gently, his hands gripping the bedsheets tightly. His voice was filled with desperation and ache, the slow pace a pleasurable torture for both of them. He tossed his head from side to side, writhing against Woohyun as Woohyun brought him to the brink of climax again and again, but never letting him reach it. 

Finally, he gasped out a stuttered plea of “Woohyun”, and Woohyun kissed him, thrusting deeply into him, bringing him to climax before taking his own. 

Howon released the abused bedsheets and hugged Woohyun to him, his body trembling in the aftershocks of orgasm. He whimpered as he felt Woohyun slide out of him, his body spent yet full. 

Woohyun rolled over so he wasn’t pressing on Howon anymore, both of them curled up together on the bed. “Thank you,” he said. 

“For?” Howon asked, his voice soft and breathy from their earlier exertions. 

“For everything,” Woohyun said, kissing him tenderly. “Do you feel better?” 

Howon nodded. “Woohyunnie, um…” he trailed off, ears red. 

“Hm? Want more?” Woohyun teased. 

Howon shook his head. “Not now. Um, Dongwoo-hyung is graduating…”

Woohyun nodded. 

“So, he’s going to move out of the dorms and move back home…” 

Woohyun smiled, but kept silent, nodding. 

“So, uh, I won’t have a roommate,” Howon said. 

Woohyun nodded solemnly. 

Howon sighed, knowing Woohyun was keeping quiet on purpose. “And I was wondering if you would like to become my roommate. In the dorms, I mean.” 

Woohyun grinned. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?” 

Howon scowled. “You made me say it on purpose,” he said accusingly. 

“So I did,” Woohyun admitted cheerfully, stroking his back. “I wanted to hear it.” 

“So,” Howon coughed. “Are you moving in with me or not?” 

“Of course!”

**Author's Note:**

> I blame Flo & her twitter friends for this.
> 
> Ongoing series of vignettes from the daily trials & tribulations that make up Nam Woohyun & Lee Howon's lives. Aka any excuse to write diabetes-inducing omgsappy domestic WooYa without having to plot.
> 
> Prompts welcome, leave them in the comment box or message me ^^


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